Catching Up On Our Classmates - John Greiner

Sens. Todd Lamb, left, and Bill Brown, center, wish retired Oklahoman Capitol Bureau reporter John Greiner well Monday at the state Capitol. PHOTO BY JIM BECKEL, THE OKLAHOMAN

The following article appeared in the NewsOK on March 17, 2009 and was written by Julie Bisbee.

John Greiner isn’t used to being the subject of a story.
But Monday, Greiner — who retired last fall after 42 years with The Oklahoman — was honored with a resolution on the Senate floor. Greiner, who began at the newspaper rewriting stories, writing obituaries and answering telephones, spent 37 years covering the state Capitol.
Senate Resolution 9, filed by Senate President Pro Tempore Glenn Coffee, R-Oklahoma City, praised Greiner for "hard work, fairness, getting the story right and explaining complicated issues.”
Greiner, 66, got a standing ovation from lawmakers and members of the media Monday afternoon.
During his time at the Capitol, Greiner covered seven governors and many scandals. Greiner spent 30 years in the Army, Army Reserve and Oklahoma National Guard before retiring as a colonel. He still is praised for his institutional knowledge of state government history and University of Oklahoma football.
While Greiner spent Monday afternoon shaking hands and humbly accepting congratulations, he deflected the attention.
"It’s difficult to be on this side of a news event,” he said. "Being the focal point of an event is really different. I’m really humbled by it.”
Greiner, who retired in October, has been traveling and spending time with family. He is a member of the Oklahoma Journalism Hall of Fame and serves on the advisory committee of the Ethics and Excellence in Journalism Foundation.