In Memoriam June 2019 to May 2020
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In Memoriam June 2019 to May 2020 In accordance with membership wishes, this report includes only those who were either longtime newspaper employees still engaged in the trade at the time of death, or those who had, though retired, made newspaper work their principal occupation. Marguerite Babb, Dennie Hall, Shelby Alice Miller, Jenks Journal University of Central Oklahoma Frederick Press Thomas Blakey, Phyllis Louise Hammer, Patsy Willene Muchmore, The Norman Transcript Fairview Republican The Ponca City News Sally Bright, Bob Haring, Nancy Janice ‘Jan’ O’Leary, Tulsa World Tulsa World The Hooker Advance Frances Jane Bryant, Ron Henderson, Jerry Ray Pogue, The Norman Transcript The (Shawnee) County Democrat Tulsa Tribune Wayne L. Caldwell, Fred B. Hilton Jr., Windsor Ridenour, Hugo Daily News Ponca City News Tulsa Tribune John R. Clabes, Charles William Hooper, Daniel H. Rodgers, Oklahoma Journal The Norman Transcript Sequoyah County Times Helen Rose Cline, Verldine ‘Geri’ McClure Huston, Paula Lemarr McBride Savage, Oklahoma Publishing Company Shawnee News-Star The Anadarko Daily News Carol Louise Cole-Frowe, Kenneth D. Kiser Jr., Daniel Lee Scroggins, Freelance Journalist Medford Patriot-Star Atoka County Times Lyle Howell Collins, Guy T. Ledbetter, Frederick David Seaton, Shawnee News-Star The Ardmoreite Winfield Daily Courier (Kansas) Chelsea C. Cook, Grace Anne Leonhart, Paul D. Shell, Henryetta Free-Lance The Lawton Constitution The Daily Oklahoman Robert Crout, James ‘Jim’ Watie Mayo, Oweida Smiley, Mustang News Sequoyah County Times The Lawton Constitution Marilyn Louise Duck, Joe W. McBride Jr., Mary Townsley, Tulsa Tribune The Anadarko Daily News Tulsa World Sharon Ann Dean, Jake Norman McDonald, Mercedes Elizabeth (Ball) Wheeler, Granite Enterprise Weatherford Daily News The Daily Oklahoman George Edgar Gurley, Robert Standish ‘Bob’ Meacham Jr., Kenneth Ronald Wood, The Ada Evening News The Daily Oklahoman The Maysville News & Stratford Star Irvin Lee Miller, Taloga Times-Advocate OKLAHOMA NEWSPAPER FOUNDATION IN MEMORIUM JUNE 2020 – PAGE 1 OF 4 MARGUERITE BABB, a former editor for nal ceased publication in 1981. Clabes then 1977. After the real estate bust in the 1980s, the Jenks Journal, died April 28, 2020. She held several federal government jobs. He Crout purchased The Mustang News and de- was 90. Babb was born in Tulsa and gradu- was inducted into the Oklahoma Journalism veloped his “Teed Off” column. He was an ated from Webster High School in 1947. She Hall of Fame in 1996. He received many hon- associate member of the Oklahoma Press was editor of the Jenks Journal from 1967- ors for his pioneering efforts in typography, Association. 1972. makeup design and offset production. MARILYN LOUISE DUCK, who worked THOMAS BLAKEY, a former reporter at HELEN ROSE CLINE, an Oklahoma jour- at the Oklahoma City Times and Tulsa Tri- The Norman Transcript, died Feb. 15, 2020. nalist, died Oct. 9, 2019. She was 87. Cline bune, died Sept. 15, 2019. She was 63. Duck He was 62. Blakey, who was born in Oklaho- was born Feb. 14, 1932, near Lacy. She re- was born Oct. 31, 1955, and grew up in Tulsa. ma City, moved with his family to Norman ceived a bachelor’s degree from Oklahoma After graduating from the University of Okla- in the mid-1960s. He later studied at OKC State University in 1953 and a master’s de- homa, she began her career in the Norman Community College and Phillips University gree from the University of Oklahoma in bureau of the now-defunct Oklahoma City in Enid. For 15 years he was a reporter for 1963. She received an OU Press fellowship Times, and later became an assistant editor. The Norman Transcript, where he received and worked as an editor for the Oklahoma After returning to Tulsa, she went to work multiple awards. Publishing Company in Oklahoma City, the for the Tulsa Tribune, and served in the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation in Wil- Tribune’s Washington D.C. bureau. After SALLY BRIGHT, the former Tulsa World liamsburg, Va., and the American Library spending some time in California working at and syndicated columnist behind the Foundation in Chicago. Cline retired in 1993. the Santa Rosa Press Democrat as an edito- long-running “Our Lively Language” feature, rial writer, she once again returned to Tulsa died Aug. 3, 2019. She was 84. Bright wrote CAROL LOUISE COLE-FROWE, an Okla- and worked as writer and editor of the East- her popular column for nearly 30 years. The homa journalist, died Feb. 25, 2020. She was ern Oklahoma Catholic Magazine. feature debuted in 1978. During her years of 66. Carol was born July 1, 1953, in Norman, syndication, which began in 1990, Bright ap- Okla. She graduated from the University of SHARON ANN DEAN, an Oklahoma jour- peared in more than 20 publications across Central Oklahoma in 1994. She won numer- nalist, died March 16, 2020. She was 70. the country. Her column fielded questions ous awards for her insightful investigative Dean was born Aug. 3, 1949, in Mangum. from readers on word meanings, grammar reporting at both Oklahoma newspapers She attended Southwestern Oklahoma State and syntax. Bright was also a distinguished and international news organizations, includ- University in Weatherford and Western Okla- educator. ing The Norman Transcript, the Oklahoma homa State College in Altus. Dean began her Gazette, the Associated Press and the New newspaper career at the Mangum Star and FRANCES JANE BRYANT, a pioneering York Times. She was a long-time member of Granite Enterprise. She was editor of the En- journalist who served as one of Oklahoma’s the Oklahoma Society of Professional Jour- terprise before starting Dean’s Printing and first female daily newspaper editors, died nalists. The Enterpriser in Mangum in 1980. Nov. 10, 2019, in Norman. She was 85. Bry- ant was born Dec. 10, 1933, in Cushing and LYLE HOWELL COLLINS, a former Lino- GEORGE EDGAR GURLEY, editor and worked during the summer for the Cushing type operator at the Shawnee News-Star, co-owner of The Ada Evening News for al- Daily Citizen. She graduated from the Uni- died Oct. 13, 2019. He was 80. Collins was most 30 years, died Jan. 18, 2020. He was 94. versity of Missouri-Columbia and began her born May 6, 1939, in Konawa. He served in Gurley was born Jan. 18, 1925, in Poplar Bluff, career at The Norman Transcript in Decem- the Oklahoma Air National Guard. Collins Mo. He moved to Ardmore as a child, gradu- ber 1955. She worked as a reporter, wire ed- started his career with the Shawnee News- ating from Ardmore High School in 1942. He itor, city editor and managing editor before Star as a Linotype operator. He later took a attended the University of Oklahoma, then retiring in December 1995. She was inducted job at General Motors but continued to de- joined the U.S. Air Force. After World War II, into the Oklahoma Journalism Hall of Fame liver the News-Star. In 2010, he was inducted Gurley graduated from OU with a degree in in 1994 and was active in local civic groups. into the Oklahoma Press Association’s Half journalism. In 1951, he married Mary Eliza- Century Club. beth Little, whose father W.D. Little Sr. was WAYNE L. CALDWELL, a former em- owner of The Ada Evening News. Gurley be- ployee at the Hugo Daily News, died CHELSEA C. COOK, a former editor at the came editor of The Evening News in 1952. Dec. 12, 2019. He was 84. Caldwell was Henryetta Free-Lance, died Jan. 20, 2020. born March 8, 1935, in Hugo. He worked He was 84. Cook was born Dec. 21, 1936, in DENNIE HALL, a respected journalist, jour- at the Hugo Daily News while in school Marysville, Calif. He studied music at the nalism professor and historian, died April and after graduating was promoted to University of Oklahoma before graduating 17, 2020. He was 85. Hall was co-founder of Linotype operator, and then foreman. He re- from Central State College, now University the Oklahoma Journalism Hall of Fame and mained at the Hugo Daily News until 1963 of Central Oklahoma, with a master’s degree served as its director. He was the longtime and then moved to Kansas. He later returned in music education. He served as the band adviser to the University of Central Oklaho- to Hugo and worked at Central Texas Col- director at Wewoka High School from 1966 ma’s student publication, The Vista, and was lege as an offset printing instructor for the to 1979. During his “retirement,” Cook did known for supporting its editors against at- Graphics Art program. missionary work and became editor of the tacks from the administration. Hall was The Henryetta Free-Lance, where he wrote a col- Oklahoman’s book editor, known for his re- JOHN R. CLABES, a longtime Oklahoma umn called “And Furthermore.” views and helping future authors. journalist, died March 27, 2020. He was 94. Clabes was born March 21, 1926, in Poteau. ROBERT CROUT, who was once owner and PHYLLIS LOUISE HAMMER, who once He joined the U.S. Army Air Corps in 1944, publisher of the Mustang News, died July owned and published the Fairview Republi- and graduated from the University of Okla- 17, 2019. He was 69. Crout was born Dec. can and Cherokee Messenger & Republican homa in 1950 with a bachelor’s degree in 24, 1949, in Wichita Falls, Texas. He attend- with her husband Larry, died Oct. 18, 2019. journalism. Clabes worked for newspapers ed the University of Oklahoma receiving a She was 81. Phyllis was born Dec. 23, 1937. in Hobart and Lawton before going to work degree in finance and business law in 1972.