Robert Novak’s death yesterday from brain cancer marks the passing of yet another conservative legend who had a profound impact on America. For me personally, he played an even greater role. When I was offered a job doing conservative journalism in 2002, I was conflicted if that was the direction I should take my career. Unsure but willing to give it a try, I looked to the Novak model as a way to approach reporting. After five years working at Cybercast News Service and Human Events, Novak had become my role model.

My career later moved away from reporting, but I count it as a blessing that I was able to briefly serve as managing editor of his biweekly Evans-Novak Political Report in 2005 when I was working at Eagle Publishing. When I took a job at The Heritage Foundation in 2007, I proudly hosted two events with him as the featured speaker. While those occasions offered a real-life glimpse of “The Prince of Darkness,” it was the work he put into his column and other journalistic ventures that had the greatest influence.

For this reason, there are few compliments more meaningful to me than the one Edelman executive Marshall Manson offered in late 2007. Writing at the blog On Tap, Manson said this:

          Rob is an emerging leader in the conservative movement. He’s smart, insightful, well connected, and understands the value of action. He’s also a veteran Hill reporter who retains first rate sources. And he understands new media as well or better than anyone on the Right.

          I recently finished Bob Novak’s autobiographical tome, and had been contemplating who would step in to fill his shoes when the old, crusty columnist finally hangs up his type writer. It’s hard to imagine a better choice than Rob Bluey.

          Novak’s column embodies an unusual combination — he both reports news and analyzes it. Bluey does the same, and does it well. He’s also tireless and hard-working. In my view, he’s destined for stardom, and if Novak wanted to leave a lasting legacy, he’d bring Rob aboard, not as his flunky, but as his partner, so that Rob might continue the column after Novak has faded from view.

Manson’s kind words came at a time of transition in my career. I was moving away from journalism after leaving Human Events earlier in the year. My job as The Heritage Foundation’s chief blogger was transitioning into a managerial role that required me to be an editor. I’ve continued to move further away now that I’m overseeing Heritage’s online strategy. But rarely a day passes when journalism isn’t on mind in some capacity.

Novak was a great journalist because he broke news — putting the value of reporting ahead of punditry. Three days a week in the Washington Post, I would turn to the commentary page and find his column. Other pundits on the page would bloviate, but Novak would never disappoint. That made him stand out.

Fortunately, Novak’s legacy will live on in the people he mentored. I count three of them as friends. Tim Carney, David Freddoso and Charlie Spiering are young journalists who had the privilege of working under Novak and are better people for it.

Unfortunately, there are too few people like them. In fact, just a few days ago at the RightOnline conference in Pittsburgh, I invoked Novak’s name during the closing panel when discussing the need for more reporters following in his footsteps. Novak, in fact, would be the ideal 21st century blogger.

May he rest in peace.