Aimee Sachs, a UF alum and freelance sports reporter, was known for her tenacity and passion in the journalism field.
Ron Sachs, Sachs’ father and a former editor-in-chief of The Independent Florida Alligator, fondly remembers how his daughter Aimee followed in his path.
“I was always delighted that she wanted to pursue a career in journalism and wanted to do it at my alma mater,” Ron Sachs said. “She was very proud to be a Gator every single day of her life.”
Sachs died May 31 after she suffered two strokes.
Sachs attended UF from 2005 to 2008 as a telecommunications major. She worked as a reporter for WUFT and as a copy editor and contributing writer for The Alligator.
At The Alligator, Sachs published front page articles about a student ice cream event and a drag queen show.
Dominick Tao, a former editor-in-chief of The Alligator, remembers working with Sachs in Summer 2007. Tao knew something was wrong whenever Sachs walked up to his desk, he said.
“She had that ‘take no sh-t’ tenacity that a lot of journalists just naturally seem to have,” Tao said.
Sachs used her platform as a journalist to report on her lifelong passion for sports.
She pursued a career in sports journalism after she graduated from UF in 2008. She started in her first full-time position at the Tallahassee Democrat where she covered Florida State University sports from 2008 to 2010.
“Even though she was only 4-foot-10, she was an athlete and a kickass sports reporter,” Ron Sachs said.
Throughout her career, Sachs worked at various outlets as a freelance sports reporter, including the Associated Press, the Tampa Bay Times, The Trentonian and the Bradenton Herald.Sachs’ favorite job was covering her favorite Major League Baseball team, the Atlanta Braves, for MLB.com, Ron Sachs said.
She also spent six years at Courthouse News Service in Atlanta, covering legal and political news.
Sachs passed away surrounded by her father and his wife, Gay Webster-Sachs, sisters Samantha and Julie and closest family friends.
Samantha Sachs recalls Sachs’ ability to find strength despite her strokes.
Even though she was facing such adversity that day, she was able to pull it together and try to find something to be happy about, she said.
“I'm so proud of the life she lived,” Samantha Sachs said. “I'm proud of how she loved. I'm proud of how she persevered. I'm proud of how brave she was in the end. She was braver than me. She was braver than all of us.”
Among her admiration for sports and her dedication to journalism, Sachs also loved music.
Sachs’ younger sister, Julie Sachs, recalls sisterly traditions of their favorite melodies.
“Every Christmas Eve at 9 p.m., we would call each other and sing a few minutes of a song from Rent,” Julie Sachs said. “I just can't fathom that my phone won't ring this Christmas Eve with her singing.”
Will Brown, a Tallahassee Democrat colleague and dear friend of Sachs, believed Sachs’ passion for telling stories was inspiring.
“She was really passionate about doing good work, but really getting to know people so she could better tell their story,” Brown said. “It was something she was really good at.”Still, she continues to brighten lives.
Ron Sachs told Florida Politics three people successfully received transplants of Sachs’ organs.
“Sharing her vital organs means she will have a legacy beyond her time with us in this world,” Ron Sachs said.
Sachs’ legacy as a sports journalist will live on through the Aimee Nicole Sachs Memorial Scholarship in Sports Journalism. Her family founded the scholarship to aid students with financial needs who are pursuing careers in sports communications.
The family held a memorial service for Sachs June 13 at Temple Israel in Tallahassee.
Contact Nicole and Garrett at nbeltran@alligator.org and gshanley@alligator.org. Follow them on Twitter @nicolebeltg @garrettshanley.
Nicole Beltran is a second-year journalism and economics major. This is her first semester as the race and equity reporter. She has previously worked as a translator and editor for El Caimán. In her free time, she enjoys watching movies, trying new foods and drawing.
Garrett Shanley is a third-year journalism and history major and The Alligator's Fall 2023 university administration reporter. In his free time, Garrett can be found watching Wong Kar-Wai movies and brooding.
