Edwin J. Paxton, Editor And Publisher
62 Years, Dies A t 84; Funeral Monday
By BILL POWELL
Sun-Democrat News Editor
Edwin J. Paxton, editor and publisher of, the Sun-Democrat and one of the most loyal supporters Paducah ever bad, died yesterday afternoon.
He died at 4:15 o'clock seven weeks after suffering a fractured vertebra of the back in a fall at his home. He was 84 on July 10. His health had been failing for several years, however. He suffered a series of heart attacks and had spent most of his time at his home on Court Avenue during the last two years.
But even at home, Mr. Paxton maintained a keen interest in his newspaper and in television station WPSD, an outgrowth of Paducah Newspapers, Inc., which publishes the Sun-Democrat. Until his condition became grave, Mr. Paxton dictated editorials, suggested news stories and shared in all of the big decisions of the newspaper and television station.
He kept himself well-informed day by day on the business side of the company even after entering Lourdes Hospital for the last time. He also kept abreast of the times; he concentrated on Paducah where few happenings escaped his notice, but his interest ranged over the entire world.
Although afflicted with poor eyesight during his last years, he constantly kept up with the news. As long as he could see he read several newspapers a day and many magazines every week; when he could no longer read he had members of his family read to him for hours every day.
Mr. Paxton began his 62nd year in the newspaper business on his 84th birthday.
He entered radio as one of the pioneers of the United States in 1922 and re-entered the field in 1946 with Station WKYB.
His television operation began in 1957 soon after he sold WKYB.
Throughout his long career which spanned the three great mediums, Mr. Paxton put Paducah first.
He fought for an industrial foothold for Paducah in the waning days of the river, and spearheaded many campaigns to bolster Paducah's role as a railroad town. And his interest didn't stop at the city limits.
Many major roads materialized in Western Kentucky in the wake of furious campaigning by Mr. Paxton and other Paducah boosters in the early part of the century.
Concerned over isolation of Paducah and West Kentucky because of the riven, Mr. Paxton and other strong Paducah civic leaders went beyond road building.
They staged the campaign that produced Irvin Cobb Bridge across' the Ohio River linking Paducah with the important trade area of deep Southern Illinois. Other spans connecting this section with the rest of the state also grew out of the bridge campaigns.
Then Mr. Paxton waged a tireless drive to free the spans that had been financed by tolls. This campaign ended during World War II. Farming, also, felt his hand.
He and others stormed the county of McCracken to start the extension service program that brought a county agent to the county in 1914. And through his promotion the strawberry industry, once a treasured supplement to the farming picture of this area, came to McCracken and eventually to all of the Purchase.
Churches, schools, clubs and many struggling individuals also knew his generosity.
Although he was a devout Catholic and a strong supporter of St. Francis de Sales Church, St. Thomas More Catholic Church and other Catholic facilities in Paducah, Mr. Paxton gave heavily to many Protestant churches.
And he usually led the field in drives for the Community Chest, Red Cross, industrial promotion and other divisions in the life of Paducah.
Often Mr. Paxton helped anonymously. Once he sat in his office and studied the city hall just across 4th Street from his window. He decided the hall needed a coat of paint. He ordered the job done and it was years before the evidence of his deed finally came out. Mr. Paxton was an impressive man.
Tall and erect, even in his declining years, he spoke humbly and without malice or harshness even when he was pressed or sorely concerned. But he always won respect and attention.
His writing had a special flavor.
Editorials which he typed in his old-fashioned way before his eyes failed him rang with a peculiar impact; longtime readers of the paper could recognize ... See PAGE 8-A, Column 4
(Many Column omitted due to space)
p. 8 .....Extremely religious himself, he published two or more pages of church news a week and made the Sun-Democrat "Editorial Sermon" a Sunday editorial page fixture, with ministers as writers. His "Add Your Own Comment" also reflected his reverence.
He often told employes that he started the day by praying that he would make the right decisions throughout the day.
Mr. Paxton is survived by his widow, Mrs. Florence Brown Paxton; three sons, Edwin J. Jr., Frank and Fred Paxton; two daughters, Mrs. Walter Decker of St. Petersburg, Fla., and Mrs. James Brockenborough; two sisters, Mrs. Elliott C. Mitchell and Mrs. Peter Puryear, and eight grandchildren.
Funeral services will be held at 9:30 a.m. Monday at St. Thomas More Catholic Church with the Rev. Martin Nahstoll officiating. Burial will be in Mt. Carmel Cemetery.
Active pallbearers will be T. A. Paxton, W. F. Paxton, Robert Brown Sr., Joseph L Roth, Joe LaGore and Bill Powell.
Honorary pallbearers will be Thomas S.. Waller, William Decker, R. E. Fairhurst, Lee Livingston, Sam Livingston, C. L. Ozment, Paul T. Bouland, Stanley Petter, Irving Bright Sr., Ed Sears, Vince Genovese, Paul Sargent, David, Yeiser, Joseph G. Mitchell, Robert Brown Jr., Herbert Schultzman, Henry Puryear, Bill Fisher, James R. Smith. James Y. O'Bannon Sr. and George Goodman.
Friends may call at Roth Funeral Home, where the Rosary will be recited at 7:30 p.m. today.
The Paducah Sun-Democrat
Paducah, Ky
Sunday, January 23, 1961, p. 1 + 8
.._______
._______
Last Rites
Held For
E. J. Paxton
Funeral services for Edwin J. Paxton, a newspaper man and strong Paducah supporter for more than 60 years, were held Monday morning at St. Thomas More Catholic Church.
The Rev. Martin Nahstoll, pastor of the church, officiated at the Requiem High Mass which was attended by a large number of Paducahans and people from elsewhere in the state and area.
Gov. Bert T. Combs and Lt. Gov. Wilson Wyatt were there; so was Highway Commissioner Henry Ward
Henry Ward, who once served as reporter and then city and associate editor on the staff of Mr. Paxton. The lieutenant--governor's wife, Ann, also attended.
Burial was in Mt. Carmel Cemetery.
Mr. Paxton died Saturday afternoon after being hospitalized seven weeks. He was taken to Lourdes the first of June after suffering a back injury in a fall at his home on Court Avenue.
Had Heart Attack
Previously, he had suffered several heart attacks but remained active in the operation of his newspaper and television station WPSD until his last days.
Mr. Paxton's death drew numerous messages of sympathy from many officials and news and other organizations. The Associated Press expressed regrets in a message from General Manager Frank J. Starzel in New York.
Mr. Paxton became a member of the AP nearly 60 years ago, soon after he became manager of the Paducah Evening Sun.
One of the first stories he handled from the AP concerned the shooting and death of
President McKinley . Other early AP stories the editor and publisher handled personally on the Evening Sun desk were about the San Francisco earthquake and fire and the sinking of the Titanic.
Also In Radio
Mr. Paxton, whose career also embraced the third great medium, radio, led or helped spark hundreds of campaigns and civic ventures that brought improvements to Paducah and Western Kentucky.
The benefits he worked for and helped bring about touched all phases of community life including roads and bridges, farm and home improvements, churches and schools and industry and welfare.
For many years he was an outstanding Catholic layman.
There were seven other newspapers in Paducah "when Mr. Paxton became editor and publisher of the Sun in 1900. He soon bought all of them except one and merged them with his paper.
Merged With The Sun
In the 1920s the other one The News - Democrat was merged with the Sun to form The Sun-Democrat.
He entered radio in 1922 and again in 1947; he launched a venture in television in 1957, when he was 80.
Pallbearers at the funeral were:
Active: T. A. Paxton. W. F. Paxton, Robert Brown Sr., Joseph L. Roth, Joe LaGore and Bill PowelL
Honorary: H. Fred WahL Thomas S. Waller, William Decker. R. E. Fairhurst Lee Livingston, Sam Livingston, C. L. Ozment ?aul T. Bouland, Stanley Petter. Irvine Bright Sr- Ed Sears. Vince Geno- vese, Paul Sargent, David Yeiser. Joseph G. Mitchell, Robert Brown Jr., Herbert Schultzman, Henry mryear, um risher. James R. Smith, James Y. O'Bannon Sr. and George Goodman.
See Page 8-A, Column 6
The Paducah Sun-Democrat
Paducah, Ky
Tuesday, July 25, 1961, p. 1-A & 2-A
._______
Kentucky Death Certificate #61-15427
Name: Edwin J. Paxton
Sex: Male
Color or Race: White
Marital Status: Married
Occupation: Newspaper Publisher/ Newspaper
Death Age: 84 years.
Birth Date: July 10, 1877
Birth Place: Kentucky
Death Date: July 22, 1961
Death Place: Paducah, McCracken County, Kentucky
Cause of Death: Myocardial Decompostion; Arterioscelerotic Heart Disease; Fracture Hip
Father: William J. Paxton
Mother: Frederica Fisher
Informant: Son -- Frank Paxton
Burial: Mt. Carmel Cemetery, Paducah, Kentucky
.
62 Years, Dies A t 84; Funeral Monday
By BILL POWELL
Sun-Democrat News Editor
Edwin J. Paxton, editor and publisher of, the Sun-Democrat and one of the most loyal supporters Paducah ever bad, died yesterday afternoon.
He died at 4:15 o'clock seven weeks after suffering a fractured vertebra of the back in a fall at his home. He was 84 on July 10. His health had been failing for several years, however. He suffered a series of heart attacks and had spent most of his time at his home on Court Avenue during the last two years.
But even at home, Mr. Paxton maintained a keen interest in his newspaper and in television station WPSD, an outgrowth of Paducah Newspapers, Inc., which publishes the Sun-Democrat. Until his condition became grave, Mr. Paxton dictated editorials, suggested news stories and shared in all of the big decisions of the newspaper and television station.
He kept himself well-informed day by day on the business side of the company even after entering Lourdes Hospital for the last time. He also kept abreast of the times; he concentrated on Paducah where few happenings escaped his notice, but his interest ranged over the entire world.
Although afflicted with poor eyesight during his last years, he constantly kept up with the news. As long as he could see he read several newspapers a day and many magazines every week; when he could no longer read he had members of his family read to him for hours every day.
Mr. Paxton began his 62nd year in the newspaper business on his 84th birthday.
He entered radio as one of the pioneers of the United States in 1922 and re-entered the field in 1946 with Station WKYB.
His television operation began in 1957 soon after he sold WKYB.
Throughout his long career which spanned the three great mediums, Mr. Paxton put Paducah first.
He fought for an industrial foothold for Paducah in the waning days of the river, and spearheaded many campaigns to bolster Paducah's role as a railroad town. And his interest didn't stop at the city limits.
Many major roads materialized in Western Kentucky in the wake of furious campaigning by Mr. Paxton and other Paducah boosters in the early part of the century.
Concerned over isolation of Paducah and West Kentucky because of the riven, Mr. Paxton and other strong Paducah civic leaders went beyond road building.
They staged the campaign that produced Irvin Cobb Bridge across' the Ohio River linking Paducah with the important trade area of deep Southern Illinois. Other spans connecting this section with the rest of the state also grew out of the bridge campaigns.
Then Mr. Paxton waged a tireless drive to free the spans that had been financed by tolls. This campaign ended during World War II. Farming, also, felt his hand.
He and others stormed the county of McCracken to start the extension service program that brought a county agent to the county in 1914. And through his promotion the strawberry industry, once a treasured supplement to the farming picture of this area, came to McCracken and eventually to all of the Purchase.
Churches, schools, clubs and many struggling individuals also knew his generosity.
Although he was a devout Catholic and a strong supporter of St. Francis de Sales Church, St. Thomas More Catholic Church and other Catholic facilities in Paducah, Mr. Paxton gave heavily to many Protestant churches.
And he usually led the field in drives for the Community Chest, Red Cross, industrial promotion and other divisions in the life of Paducah.
Often Mr. Paxton helped anonymously. Once he sat in his office and studied the city hall just across 4th Street from his window. He decided the hall needed a coat of paint. He ordered the job done and it was years before the evidence of his deed finally came out. Mr. Paxton was an impressive man.
Tall and erect, even in his declining years, he spoke humbly and without malice or harshness even when he was pressed or sorely concerned. But he always won respect and attention.
His writing had a special flavor.
Editorials which he typed in his old-fashioned way before his eyes failed him rang with a peculiar impact; longtime readers of the paper could recognize ... See PAGE 8-A, Column 4
(Many Column omitted due to space)
p. 8 .....Extremely religious himself, he published two or more pages of church news a week and made the Sun-Democrat "Editorial Sermon" a Sunday editorial page fixture, with ministers as writers. His "Add Your Own Comment" also reflected his reverence.
He often told employes that he started the day by praying that he would make the right decisions throughout the day.
Mr. Paxton is survived by his widow, Mrs. Florence Brown Paxton; three sons, Edwin J. Jr., Frank and Fred Paxton; two daughters, Mrs. Walter Decker of St. Petersburg, Fla., and Mrs. James Brockenborough; two sisters, Mrs. Elliott C. Mitchell and Mrs. Peter Puryear, and eight grandchildren.
Funeral services will be held at 9:30 a.m. Monday at St. Thomas More Catholic Church with the Rev. Martin Nahstoll officiating. Burial will be in Mt. Carmel Cemetery.
Active pallbearers will be T. A. Paxton, W. F. Paxton, Robert Brown Sr., Joseph L Roth, Joe LaGore and Bill Powell.
Honorary pallbearers will be Thomas S.. Waller, William Decker, R. E. Fairhurst, Lee Livingston, Sam Livingston, C. L. Ozment, Paul T. Bouland, Stanley Petter, Irving Bright Sr., Ed Sears, Vince Genovese, Paul Sargent, David, Yeiser, Joseph G. Mitchell, Robert Brown Jr., Herbert Schultzman, Henry Puryear, Bill Fisher, James R. Smith. James Y. O'Bannon Sr. and George Goodman.
Friends may call at Roth Funeral Home, where the Rosary will be recited at 7:30 p.m. today.
The Paducah Sun-Democrat
Paducah, Ky
Sunday, January 23, 1961, p. 1 + 8
.._______
._______
Last Rites
Held For
E. J. Paxton
Funeral services for Edwin J. Paxton, a newspaper man and strong Paducah supporter for more than 60 years, were held Monday morning at St. Thomas More Catholic Church.
The Rev. Martin Nahstoll, pastor of the church, officiated at the Requiem High Mass which was attended by a large number of Paducahans and people from elsewhere in the state and area.
Gov. Bert T. Combs and Lt. Gov. Wilson Wyatt were there; so was Highway Commissioner Henry Ward
Henry Ward, who once served as reporter and then city and associate editor on the staff of Mr. Paxton. The lieutenant--governor's wife, Ann, also attended.
Burial was in Mt. Carmel Cemetery.
Mr. Paxton died Saturday afternoon after being hospitalized seven weeks. He was taken to Lourdes the first of June after suffering a back injury in a fall at his home on Court Avenue.
Had Heart Attack
Previously, he had suffered several heart attacks but remained active in the operation of his newspaper and television station WPSD until his last days.
Mr. Paxton's death drew numerous messages of sympathy from many officials and news and other organizations. The Associated Press expressed regrets in a message from General Manager Frank J. Starzel in New York.
Mr. Paxton became a member of the AP nearly 60 years ago, soon after he became manager of the Paducah Evening Sun.
One of the first stories he handled from the AP concerned the shooting and death of
President McKinley . Other early AP stories the editor and publisher handled personally on the Evening Sun desk were about the San Francisco earthquake and fire and the sinking of the Titanic.
Also In Radio
Mr. Paxton, whose career also embraced the third great medium, radio, led or helped spark hundreds of campaigns and civic ventures that brought improvements to Paducah and Western Kentucky.
The benefits he worked for and helped bring about touched all phases of community life including roads and bridges, farm and home improvements, churches and schools and industry and welfare.
For many years he was an outstanding Catholic layman.
There were seven other newspapers in Paducah "when Mr. Paxton became editor and publisher of the Sun in 1900. He soon bought all of them except one and merged them with his paper.
Merged With The Sun
In the 1920s the other one The News - Democrat was merged with the Sun to form The Sun-Democrat.
He entered radio in 1922 and again in 1947; he launched a venture in television in 1957, when he was 80.
Pallbearers at the funeral were:
Active: T. A. Paxton. W. F. Paxton, Robert Brown Sr., Joseph L. Roth, Joe LaGore and Bill PowelL
Honorary: H. Fred WahL Thomas S. Waller, William Decker. R. E. Fairhurst Lee Livingston, Sam Livingston, C. L. Ozment ?aul T. Bouland, Stanley Petter. Irvine Bright Sr- Ed Sears. Vince Geno- vese, Paul Sargent, David Yeiser. Joseph G. Mitchell, Robert Brown Jr., Herbert Schultzman, Henry mryear, um risher. James R. Smith, James Y. O'Bannon Sr. and George Goodman.
See Page 8-A, Column 6
The Paducah Sun-Democrat
Paducah, Ky
Tuesday, July 25, 1961, p. 1-A & 2-A
._______
Kentucky Death Certificate #61-15427
Name: Edwin J. Paxton
Sex: Male
Color or Race: White
Marital Status: Married
Occupation: Newspaper Publisher/ Newspaper
Death Age: 84 years.
Birth Date: July 10, 1877
Birth Place: Kentucky
Death Date: July 22, 1961
Death Place: Paducah, McCracken County, Kentucky
Cause of Death: Myocardial Decompostion; Arterioscelerotic Heart Disease; Fracture Hip
Father: William J. Paxton
Mother: Frederica Fisher
Informant: Son -- Frank Paxton
Burial: Mt. Carmel Cemetery, Paducah, Kentucky
.
Edwin J. Paxton, Editor And Publisher
62 Years, Dies A t 84; Funeral Monday
By BILL POWELL
Sun-Democrat News Editor
Edwin J. Paxton, editor and publisher of, the Sun-Democrat and one of the most loyal supporters Paducah ever bad, died yesterday afternoon.
He died at 4:15 o'clock seven weeks after suffering a fractured vertebra of the back in a fall at his home. He was 84 on July 10. His health had been failing for several years, however. He suffered a series of heart attacks and had spent most of his time at his home on Court Avenue during the last two years.
But even at home, Mr. Paxton maintained a keen interest in his newspaper and in television station WPSD, an outgrowth of Paducah Newspapers, Inc., which publishes the Sun-Democrat. Until his condition became grave, Mr. Paxton dictated editorials, suggested news stories and shared in all of the big decisions of the newspaper and television station.
He kept himself well-informed day by day on the business side of the company even after entering Lourdes Hospital for the last time. He also kept abreast of the times; he concentrated on Paducah where few happenings escaped his notice, but his interest ranged over the entire world.
Although afflicted with poor eyesight during his last years, he constantly kept up with the news. As long as he could see he read several newspapers a day and many magazines every week; when he could no longer read he had members of his family read to him for hours every day.
Mr. Paxton began his 62nd year in the newspaper business on his 84th birthday.
He entered radio as one of the pioneers of the United States in 1922 and re-entered the field in 1946 with Station WKYB.
His television operation began in 1957 soon after he sold WKYB.
Throughout his long career which spanned the three great mediums, Mr. Paxton put Paducah first.
He fought for an industrial foothold for Paducah in the waning days of the river, and spearheaded many campaigns to bolster Paducah's role as a railroad town. And his interest didn't stop at the city limits.
Many major roads materialized in Western Kentucky in the wake of furious campaigning by Mr. Paxton and other Paducah boosters in the early part of the century.
Concerned over isolation of Paducah and West Kentucky because of the riven, Mr. Paxton and other strong Paducah civic leaders went beyond road building.
They staged the campaign that produced Irvin Cobb Bridge across' the Ohio River linking Paducah with the important trade area of deep Southern Illinois. Other spans connecting this section with the rest of the state also grew out of the bridge campaigns.
Then Mr. Paxton waged a tireless drive to free the spans that had been financed by tolls. This campaign ended during World War II. Farming, also, felt his hand.
He and others stormed the county of McCracken to start the extension service program that brought a county agent to the county in 1914. And through his promotion the strawberry industry, once a treasured supplement to the farming picture of this area, came to McCracken and eventually to all of the Purchase.
Churches, schools, clubs and many struggling individuals also knew his generosity.
Although he was a devout Catholic and a strong supporter of St. Francis de Sales Church, St. Thomas More Catholic Church and other Catholic facilities in Paducah, Mr. Paxton gave heavily to many Protestant churches.
And he usually led the field in drives for the Community Chest, Red Cross, industrial promotion and other divisions in the life of Paducah.
Often Mr. Paxton helped anonymously. Once he sat in his office and studied the city hall just across 4th Street from his window. He decided the hall needed a coat of paint. He ordered the job done and it was years before the evidence of his deed finally came out. Mr. Paxton was an impressive man.
Tall and erect, even in his declining years, he spoke humbly and without malice or harshness even when he was pressed or sorely concerned. But he always won respect and attention.
His writing had a special flavor.
Editorials which he typed in his old-fashioned way before his eyes failed him rang with a peculiar impact; longtime readers of the paper could recognize ... See PAGE 8-A, Column 4
(Many Column omitted due to space)
p. 8 .....Extremely religious himself, he published two or more pages of church news a week and made the Sun-Democrat "Editorial Sermon" a Sunday editorial page fixture, with ministers as writers. His "Add Your Own Comment" also reflected his reverence.
He often told employes that he started the day by praying that he would make the right decisions throughout the day.
Mr. Paxton is survived by his widow, Mrs. Florence Brown Paxton; three sons, Edwin J. Jr., Frank and Fred Paxton; two daughters, Mrs. Walter Decker of St. Petersburg, Fla., and Mrs. James Brockenborough; two sisters, Mrs. Elliott C. Mitchell and Mrs. Peter Puryear, and eight grandchildren.
Funeral services will be held at 9:30 a.m. Monday at St. Thomas More Catholic Church with the Rev. Martin Nahstoll officiating. Burial will be in Mt. Carmel Cemetery.
Active pallbearers will be T. A. Paxton, W. F. Paxton, Robert Brown Sr., Joseph L Roth, Joe LaGore and Bill Powell.
Honorary pallbearers will be Thomas S.. Waller, William Decker, R. E. Fairhurst, Lee Livingston, Sam Livingston, C. L. Ozment, Paul T. Bouland, Stanley Petter, Irving Bright Sr., Ed Sears, Vince Genovese, Paul Sargent, David, Yeiser, Joseph G. Mitchell, Robert Brown Jr., Herbert Schultzman, Henry Puryear, Bill Fisher, James R. Smith. James Y. O'Bannon Sr. and George Goodman.
Friends may call at Roth Funeral Home, where the Rosary will be recited at 7:30 p.m. today.
The Paducah Sun-Democrat
Paducah, Ky
Sunday, January 23, 1961, p. 1 + 8
.._______
._______
Last Rites
Held For
E. J. Paxton
Funeral services for Edwin J. Paxton, a newspaper man and strong Paducah supporter for more than 60 years, were held Monday morning at St. Thomas More Catholic Church.
The Rev. Martin Nahstoll, pastor of the church, officiated at the Requiem High Mass which was attended by a large number of Paducahans and people from elsewhere in the state and area.
Gov. Bert T. Combs and Lt. Gov. Wilson Wyatt were there; so was Highway Commissioner Henry Ward
Henry Ward, who once served as reporter and then city and associate editor on the staff of Mr. Paxton. The lieutenant--governor's wife, Ann, also attended.
Burial was in Mt. Carmel Cemetery.
Mr. Paxton died Saturday afternoon after being hospitalized seven weeks. He was taken to Lourdes the first of June after suffering a back injury in a fall at his home on Court Avenue.
Had Heart Attack
Previously, he had suffered several heart attacks but remained active in the operation of his newspaper and television station WPSD until his last days.
Mr. Paxton's death drew numerous messages of sympathy from many officials and news and other organizations. The Associated Press expressed regrets in a message from General Manager Frank J. Starzel in New York.
Mr. Paxton became a member of the AP nearly 60 years ago, soon after he became manager of the Paducah Evening Sun.
One of the first stories he handled from the AP concerned the shooting and death of
President McKinley . Other early AP stories the editor and publisher handled personally on the Evening Sun desk were about the San Francisco earthquake and fire and the sinking of the Titanic.
Also In Radio
Mr. Paxton, whose career also embraced the third great medium, radio, led or helped spark hundreds of campaigns and civic ventures that brought improvements to Paducah and Western Kentucky.
The benefits he worked for and helped bring about touched all phases of community life including roads and bridges, farm and home improvements, churches and schools and industry and welfare.
For many years he was an outstanding Catholic layman.
There were seven other newspapers in Paducah "when Mr. Paxton became editor and publisher of the Sun in 1900. He soon bought all of them except one and merged them with his paper.
Merged With The Sun
In the 1920s the other one The News - Democrat was merged with the Sun to form The Sun-Democrat.
He entered radio in 1922 and again in 1947; he launched a venture in television in 1957, when he was 80.
Pallbearers at the funeral were:
Active: T. A. Paxton. W. F. Paxton, Robert Brown Sr., Joseph L. Roth, Joe LaGore and Bill PowelL
Honorary: H. Fred WahL Thomas S. Waller, William Decker. R. E. Fairhurst Lee Livingston, Sam Livingston, C. L. Ozment ?aul T. Bouland, Stanley Petter. Irvine Bright Sr- Ed Sears. Vince Geno- vese, Paul Sargent, David Yeiser. Joseph G. Mitchell, Robert Brown Jr., Herbert Schultzman, Henry mryear, um risher. James R. Smith, James Y. O'Bannon Sr. and George Goodman.
See Page 8-A, Column 6
The Paducah Sun-Democrat
Paducah, Ky
Tuesday, July 25, 1961, p. 1-A & 2-A
._______
Kentucky Death Certificate #61-15427
Name: Edwin J. Paxton
Sex: Male
Color or Race: White
Marital Status: Married
Occupation: Newspaper Publisher/ Newspaper
Death Age: 84 years.
Birth Date: July 10, 1877
Birth Place: Kentucky
Death Date: July 22, 1961
Death Place: Paducah, McCracken County, Kentucky
Cause of Death: Myocardial Decompostion; Arterioscelerotic Heart Disease; Fracture Hip
Father: William J. Paxton
Mother: Frederica Fisher
Informant: Son -- Frank Paxton
Burial: Mt. Carmel Cemetery, Paducah, Kentucky
.
62 Years, Dies A t 84; Funeral Monday
By BILL POWELL
Sun-Democrat News Editor
Edwin J. Paxton, editor and publisher of, the Sun-Democrat and one of the most loyal supporters Paducah ever bad, died yesterday afternoon.
He died at 4:15 o'clock seven weeks after suffering a fractured vertebra of the back in a fall at his home. He was 84 on July 10. His health had been failing for several years, however. He suffered a series of heart attacks and had spent most of his time at his home on Court Avenue during the last two years.
But even at home, Mr. Paxton maintained a keen interest in his newspaper and in television station WPSD, an outgrowth of Paducah Newspapers, Inc., which publishes the Sun-Democrat. Until his condition became grave, Mr. Paxton dictated editorials, suggested news stories and shared in all of the big decisions of the newspaper and television station.
He kept himself well-informed day by day on the business side of the company even after entering Lourdes Hospital for the last time. He also kept abreast of the times; he concentrated on Paducah where few happenings escaped his notice, but his interest ranged over the entire world.
Although afflicted with poor eyesight during his last years, he constantly kept up with the news. As long as he could see he read several newspapers a day and many magazines every week; when he could no longer read he had members of his family read to him for hours every day.
Mr. Paxton began his 62nd year in the newspaper business on his 84th birthday.
He entered radio as one of the pioneers of the United States in 1922 and re-entered the field in 1946 with Station WKYB.
His television operation began in 1957 soon after he sold WKYB.
Throughout his long career which spanned the three great mediums, Mr. Paxton put Paducah first.
He fought for an industrial foothold for Paducah in the waning days of the river, and spearheaded many campaigns to bolster Paducah's role as a railroad town. And his interest didn't stop at the city limits.
Many major roads materialized in Western Kentucky in the wake of furious campaigning by Mr. Paxton and other Paducah boosters in the early part of the century.
Concerned over isolation of Paducah and West Kentucky because of the riven, Mr. Paxton and other strong Paducah civic leaders went beyond road building.
They staged the campaign that produced Irvin Cobb Bridge across' the Ohio River linking Paducah with the important trade area of deep Southern Illinois. Other spans connecting this section with the rest of the state also grew out of the bridge campaigns.
Then Mr. Paxton waged a tireless drive to free the spans that had been financed by tolls. This campaign ended during World War II. Farming, also, felt his hand.
He and others stormed the county of McCracken to start the extension service program that brought a county agent to the county in 1914. And through his promotion the strawberry industry, once a treasured supplement to the farming picture of this area, came to McCracken and eventually to all of the Purchase.
Churches, schools, clubs and many struggling individuals also knew his generosity.
Although he was a devout Catholic and a strong supporter of St. Francis de Sales Church, St. Thomas More Catholic Church and other Catholic facilities in Paducah, Mr. Paxton gave heavily to many Protestant churches.
And he usually led the field in drives for the Community Chest, Red Cross, industrial promotion and other divisions in the life of Paducah.
Often Mr. Paxton helped anonymously. Once he sat in his office and studied the city hall just across 4th Street from his window. He decided the hall needed a coat of paint. He ordered the job done and it was years before the evidence of his deed finally came out. Mr. Paxton was an impressive man.
Tall and erect, even in his declining years, he spoke humbly and without malice or harshness even when he was pressed or sorely concerned. But he always won respect and attention.
His writing had a special flavor.
Editorials which he typed in his old-fashioned way before his eyes failed him rang with a peculiar impact; longtime readers of the paper could recognize ... See PAGE 8-A, Column 4
(Many Column omitted due to space)
p. 8 .....Extremely religious himself, he published two or more pages of church news a week and made the Sun-Democrat "Editorial Sermon" a Sunday editorial page fixture, with ministers as writers. His "Add Your Own Comment" also reflected his reverence.
He often told employes that he started the day by praying that he would make the right decisions throughout the day.
Mr. Paxton is survived by his widow, Mrs. Florence Brown Paxton; three sons, Edwin J. Jr., Frank and Fred Paxton; two daughters, Mrs. Walter Decker of St. Petersburg, Fla., and Mrs. James Brockenborough; two sisters, Mrs. Elliott C. Mitchell and Mrs. Peter Puryear, and eight grandchildren.
Funeral services will be held at 9:30 a.m. Monday at St. Thomas More Catholic Church with the Rev. Martin Nahstoll officiating. Burial will be in Mt. Carmel Cemetery.
Active pallbearers will be T. A. Paxton, W. F. Paxton, Robert Brown Sr., Joseph L Roth, Joe LaGore and Bill Powell.
Honorary pallbearers will be Thomas S.. Waller, William Decker, R. E. Fairhurst, Lee Livingston, Sam Livingston, C. L. Ozment, Paul T. Bouland, Stanley Petter, Irving Bright Sr., Ed Sears, Vince Genovese, Paul Sargent, David, Yeiser, Joseph G. Mitchell, Robert Brown Jr., Herbert Schultzman, Henry Puryear, Bill Fisher, James R. Smith. James Y. O'Bannon Sr. and George Goodman.
Friends may call at Roth Funeral Home, where the Rosary will be recited at 7:30 p.m. today.
The Paducah Sun-Democrat
Paducah, Ky
Sunday, January 23, 1961, p. 1 + 8
.._______
._______
Last Rites
Held For
E. J. Paxton
Funeral services for Edwin J. Paxton, a newspaper man and strong Paducah supporter for more than 60 years, were held Monday morning at St. Thomas More Catholic Church.
The Rev. Martin Nahstoll, pastor of the church, officiated at the Requiem High Mass which was attended by a large number of Paducahans and people from elsewhere in the state and area.
Gov. Bert T. Combs and Lt. Gov. Wilson Wyatt were there; so was Highway Commissioner Henry Ward
Henry Ward, who once served as reporter and then city and associate editor on the staff of Mr. Paxton. The lieutenant--governor's wife, Ann, also attended.
Burial was in Mt. Carmel Cemetery.
Mr. Paxton died Saturday afternoon after being hospitalized seven weeks. He was taken to Lourdes the first of June after suffering a back injury in a fall at his home on Court Avenue.
Had Heart Attack
Previously, he had suffered several heart attacks but remained active in the operation of his newspaper and television station WPSD until his last days.
Mr. Paxton's death drew numerous messages of sympathy from many officials and news and other organizations. The Associated Press expressed regrets in a message from General Manager Frank J. Starzel in New York.
Mr. Paxton became a member of the AP nearly 60 years ago, soon after he became manager of the Paducah Evening Sun.
One of the first stories he handled from the AP concerned the shooting and death of
President McKinley . Other early AP stories the editor and publisher handled personally on the Evening Sun desk were about the San Francisco earthquake and fire and the sinking of the Titanic.
Also In Radio
Mr. Paxton, whose career also embraced the third great medium, radio, led or helped spark hundreds of campaigns and civic ventures that brought improvements to Paducah and Western Kentucky.
The benefits he worked for and helped bring about touched all phases of community life including roads and bridges, farm and home improvements, churches and schools and industry and welfare.
For many years he was an outstanding Catholic layman.
There were seven other newspapers in Paducah "when Mr. Paxton became editor and publisher of the Sun in 1900. He soon bought all of them except one and merged them with his paper.
Merged With The Sun
In the 1920s the other one The News - Democrat was merged with the Sun to form The Sun-Democrat.
He entered radio in 1922 and again in 1947; he launched a venture in television in 1957, when he was 80.
Pallbearers at the funeral were:
Active: T. A. Paxton. W. F. Paxton, Robert Brown Sr., Joseph L. Roth, Joe LaGore and Bill PowelL
Honorary: H. Fred WahL Thomas S. Waller, William Decker. R. E. Fairhurst Lee Livingston, Sam Livingston, C. L. Ozment ?aul T. Bouland, Stanley Petter. Irvine Bright Sr- Ed Sears. Vince Geno- vese, Paul Sargent, David Yeiser. Joseph G. Mitchell, Robert Brown Jr., Herbert Schultzman, Henry mryear, um risher. James R. Smith, James Y. O'Bannon Sr. and George Goodman.
See Page 8-A, Column 6
The Paducah Sun-Democrat
Paducah, Ky
Tuesday, July 25, 1961, p. 1-A & 2-A
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Kentucky Death Certificate #61-15427
Name: Edwin J. Paxton
Sex: Male
Color or Race: White
Marital Status: Married
Occupation: Newspaper Publisher/ Newspaper
Death Age: 84 years.
Birth Date: July 10, 1877
Birth Place: Kentucky
Death Date: July 22, 1961
Death Place: Paducah, McCracken County, Kentucky
Cause of Death: Myocardial Decompostion; Arterioscelerotic Heart Disease; Fracture Hip
Father: William J. Paxton
Mother: Frederica Fisher
Informant: Son -- Frank Paxton
Burial: Mt. Carmel Cemetery, Paducah, Kentucky
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