A longtime editor and columnist with The Berkshire Eagle died at the age of 91 Tuesday.Milton Bass became The Berkshire Eagle’s first full-time arts and entertainment editor in 1952, a role he would hold for more than 30 years. Overall, the Pittsfield native contributed to the paper for 60 years as a columnist and also published 13 novels. Former Eagle managing editor and current reporter Clarence Fanto remembers “Milty” as a quick-witted man and a good judge of human character.
“He had a real ability to communicate his thoughts in a personal way, in a direct way and often in a humorous way,” said Fanto.
While in the Army, Bass was awarded a Silver Star after he and fellow medics crawled across a minefield under German fire to rescue two wounded soldiers in 1944 Holland.