Jewish War Veteran
EDITOR HELPED PAPER WIN PULITZER AWARDS
Selwyn Pepper, a longtime Post-Dispatch reporter and editor who helped the newspaper win three Pulitzer prizes, died Thursday (Sept. 4, 2008) at a retirement home in Overland Park, Kansas, two weeks after suffering a stroke. He was 93 and had been a longtime resident of Clayton before moving to the Kansas City area four years ago.
During his 50-year career at the newspaper, Mr. Pepper was city editor, features editor, news editor and reader's advocate.
As a reporter and rewrite man, he worked on three stories—on voter fraud, corruption in the Internal Revenue Bureau and the Centralia, Illinois, mine disaster and its causes—that won the Pulitzer Prize for public service.
The son of a paper carrier in St. Louis, Mr. Pepper fell in love with newspapers at an early age. "By the time I was 9, I had read every book on journalism at the Cabanne Branch Library," Mr. Pepper wrote in his first Reader's Advocate column in 1979. "At Blewett Junior High, I got my first byline in the school paper. I was hooked."
As editor of his Soldan High School newspaper, he impressed the Post-Dispatch city editor with a profile he wrote about the editor's son. That led to a part-time job offer as a reporter, at age 16.
Mr. Pepper received his bachelor's degree from Washington University and was editor of its newspaper, Student Life. He worked weekends at the Post-Dispatch. His Saturday night beat was City Hospital, covering the results of crime and violence that often ended up there.
"There was even a period of some months when I phoned in stories from City Hospital and then, about six hours later, helped by father on his route, delivering papers with stories I had covered, " he said in a 1981 story on his retirement.
Mr. Pepper served five years in Army Air Forces, part of it in the Southwest pacific as a press officer on the staff of General Douglas MacArthur.
Mr. Pepper was a past president of the St. Louis Press Club and received the Journalism Foundation of Metropolitan St. Louis' lifetime achievement award in 1986.
A graveside service and burial will at 2 p.m. Sunday at Beth Hamedrosh Hagodol, 9125 Ladue Road, Ladue, Missouri.
Among the survivors are two daughters, Lisa Gwyther of Chapel Hill, N. C., and Miriam Pepper of Leawood, Kansas; four grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.
His wife of 63 years Naomi Pepper, died in 2004.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Mid America Chapter, 7611 State Line Road, Suite 100, Kansas City, MO 64114 or Village Shalom, 5500 West 123rd Street, Overland Park, Kansas 66209
© St. Louis Post Dispatch Sept 2008
EDITOR HELPED PAPER WIN PULITZER AWARDS
Selwyn Pepper, a longtime Post-Dispatch reporter and editor who helped the newspaper win three Pulitzer prizes, died Thursday (Sept. 4, 2008) at a retirement home in Overland Park, Kansas, two weeks after suffering a stroke. He was 93 and had been a longtime resident of Clayton before moving to the Kansas City area four years ago.
During his 50-year career at the newspaper, Mr. Pepper was city editor, features editor, news editor and reader's advocate.
As a reporter and rewrite man, he worked on three stories—on voter fraud, corruption in the Internal Revenue Bureau and the Centralia, Illinois, mine disaster and its causes—that won the Pulitzer Prize for public service.
The son of a paper carrier in St. Louis, Mr. Pepper fell in love with newspapers at an early age. "By the time I was 9, I had read every book on journalism at the Cabanne Branch Library," Mr. Pepper wrote in his first Reader's Advocate column in 1979. "At Blewett Junior High, I got my first byline in the school paper. I was hooked."
As editor of his Soldan High School newspaper, he impressed the Post-Dispatch city editor with a profile he wrote about the editor's son. That led to a part-time job offer as a reporter, at age 16.
Mr. Pepper received his bachelor's degree from Washington University and was editor of its newspaper, Student Life. He worked weekends at the Post-Dispatch. His Saturday night beat was City Hospital, covering the results of crime and violence that often ended up there.
"There was even a period of some months when I phoned in stories from City Hospital and then, about six hours later, helped by father on his route, delivering papers with stories I had covered, " he said in a 1981 story on his retirement.
Mr. Pepper served five years in Army Air Forces, part of it in the Southwest pacific as a press officer on the staff of General Douglas MacArthur.
Mr. Pepper was a past president of the St. Louis Press Club and received the Journalism Foundation of Metropolitan St. Louis' lifetime achievement award in 1986.
A graveside service and burial will at 2 p.m. Sunday at Beth Hamedrosh Hagodol, 9125 Ladue Road, Ladue, Missouri.
Among the survivors are two daughters, Lisa Gwyther of Chapel Hill, N. C., and Miriam Pepper of Leawood, Kansas; four grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.
His wife of 63 years Naomi Pepper, died in 2004.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Mid America Chapter, 7611 State Line Road, Suite 100, Kansas City, MO 64114 or Village Shalom, 5500 West 123rd Street, Overland Park, Kansas 66209
© St. Louis Post Dispatch Sept 2008
Jewish War Veteran
EDITOR HELPED PAPER WIN PULITZER AWARDS
Selwyn Pepper, a longtime Post-Dispatch reporter and editor who helped the newspaper win three Pulitzer prizes, died Thursday (Sept. 4, 2008) at a retirement home in Overland Park, Kansas, two weeks after suffering a stroke. He was 93 and had been a longtime resident of Clayton before moving to the Kansas City area four years ago.
During his 50-year career at the newspaper, Mr. Pepper was city editor, features editor, news editor and reader's advocate.
As a reporter and rewrite man, he worked on three stories—on voter fraud, corruption in the Internal Revenue Bureau and the Centralia, Illinois, mine disaster and its causes—that won the Pulitzer Prize for public service.
The son of a paper carrier in St. Louis, Mr. Pepper fell in love with newspapers at an early age. "By the time I was 9, I had read every book on journalism at the Cabanne Branch Library," Mr. Pepper wrote in his first Reader's Advocate column in 1979. "At Blewett Junior High, I got my first byline in the school paper. I was hooked."
As editor of his Soldan High School newspaper, he impressed the Post-Dispatch city editor with a profile he wrote about the editor's son. That led to a part-time job offer as a reporter, at age 16.
Mr. Pepper received his bachelor's degree from Washington University and was editor of its newspaper, Student Life. He worked weekends at the Post-Dispatch. His Saturday night beat was City Hospital, covering the results of crime and violence that often ended up there.
"There was even a period of some months when I phoned in stories from City Hospital and then, about six hours later, helped by father on his route, delivering papers with stories I had covered, " he said in a 1981 story on his retirement.
Mr. Pepper served five years in Army Air Forces, part of it in the Southwest pacific as a press officer on the staff of General Douglas MacArthur.
Mr. Pepper was a past president of the St. Louis Press Club and received the Journalism Foundation of Metropolitan St. Louis' lifetime achievement award in 1986.
A graveside service and burial will at 2 p.m. Sunday at Beth Hamedrosh Hagodol, 9125 Ladue Road, Ladue, Missouri.
Among the survivors are two daughters, Lisa Gwyther of Chapel Hill, N. C., and Miriam Pepper of Leawood, Kansas; four grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.
His wife of 63 years Naomi Pepper, died in 2004.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Mid America Chapter, 7611 State Line Road, Suite 100, Kansas City, MO 64114 or Village Shalom, 5500 West 123rd Street, Overland Park, Kansas 66209
© St. Louis Post Dispatch Sept 2008
EDITOR HELPED PAPER WIN PULITZER AWARDS
Selwyn Pepper, a longtime Post-Dispatch reporter and editor who helped the newspaper win three Pulitzer prizes, died Thursday (Sept. 4, 2008) at a retirement home in Overland Park, Kansas, two weeks after suffering a stroke. He was 93 and had been a longtime resident of Clayton before moving to the Kansas City area four years ago.
During his 50-year career at the newspaper, Mr. Pepper was city editor, features editor, news editor and reader's advocate.
As a reporter and rewrite man, he worked on three stories—on voter fraud, corruption in the Internal Revenue Bureau and the Centralia, Illinois, mine disaster and its causes—that won the Pulitzer Prize for public service.
The son of a paper carrier in St. Louis, Mr. Pepper fell in love with newspapers at an early age. "By the time I was 9, I had read every book on journalism at the Cabanne Branch Library," Mr. Pepper wrote in his first Reader's Advocate column in 1979. "At Blewett Junior High, I got my first byline in the school paper. I was hooked."
As editor of his Soldan High School newspaper, he impressed the Post-Dispatch city editor with a profile he wrote about the editor's son. That led to a part-time job offer as a reporter, at age 16.
Mr. Pepper received his bachelor's degree from Washington University and was editor of its newspaper, Student Life. He worked weekends at the Post-Dispatch. His Saturday night beat was City Hospital, covering the results of crime and violence that often ended up there.
"There was even a period of some months when I phoned in stories from City Hospital and then, about six hours later, helped by father on his route, delivering papers with stories I had covered, " he said in a 1981 story on his retirement.
Mr. Pepper served five years in Army Air Forces, part of it in the Southwest pacific as a press officer on the staff of General Douglas MacArthur.
Mr. Pepper was a past president of the St. Louis Press Club and received the Journalism Foundation of Metropolitan St. Louis' lifetime achievement award in 1986.
A graveside service and burial will at 2 p.m. Sunday at Beth Hamedrosh Hagodol, 9125 Ladue Road, Ladue, Missouri.
Among the survivors are two daughters, Lisa Gwyther of Chapel Hill, N. C., and Miriam Pepper of Leawood, Kansas; four grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.
His wife of 63 years Naomi Pepper, died in 2004.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Mid America Chapter, 7611 State Line Road, Suite 100, Kansas City, MO 64114 or Village Shalom, 5500 West 123rd Street, Overland Park, Kansas 66209
© St. Louis Post Dispatch Sept 2008
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