The news world is grieving today with the loss of Rick Sallinger. His life and career seemed to be one and the same, as Risk was a journalist through and through.

Others know him far better, but in the time I had with him he left a huge impact on my life. Here's that story:

It had been my dream to work for a Denver TV station like CBSColorado since I was a kid, and that dream was a tough one to crack. Rick took me under his wing when I met him as an intern, and never forgot me through each step of my career.

CBSColorado Every time I saw him on a scene in Colorado Springs, he would run right up to me and ask how I was, ask when I would join him at CBS, and what he could do to help.

This is a similar story to a lot of people. Rick just loved to see people succeed as reporters.