Buried January 23.
Eugene S. (Gene) Pulliam, 84, who started out delivering newspapers as a school boy and rose to be publisher of The Indianapolis Star and The Indianapolis News, has died. He had been ill for most of the past year. Pulliam's long career in journalism included a stint from 1978 to 1991 during which he was also publisher of The Muncie Star and The Muncie Evening Press, which merged into The Star Press in 1996. He was also executive vice president of Central Newspapers Inc., of which Muncie newspapers have been a part since the 1940s, when Pulliam's father, Eugene C. Pulliam, founded the company.
Another Muncie publisher, James P. Quayle, was married to Eugene S. Pulliam's half sister, Corrine. Quayle was publisher in Muncie in 1973-78. Former Vice President Dan Quayle, nephew of Pulliam, said Thursday his uncle's "sense of fairness and integrity were unmatched." "He was a person deeply committed to making his newspapers good citizens of their communities," Quayle said in a statement.
The Indianapolis Star won the Pulitzer Prize twice during his tenure as publisher, for investigations on police corruption and medical malpractice. In a 1991 interview, Pulliam said: "I think newspapers will continue to be the only stable check on government." Louis A. Weil III, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Central Newspapers Inc., remembered Pulliam as a "newspaperman's newspaperman." "When I think of Gene Pulliam, I think of him as a very caring man because he cared about his family, he cared about his communities, and he cared about his newspapers," Weil said. "Most of all he cared about people and freedom."
Pulliam was born in Atchison, Kan., where his father owned the Atchison Champion newspaper. The family moved to Indiana after his father bought the Franklin Evening Star, and the younger Pulliam got his first newspaper job as a grade school boy delivering papers for the Lebanon Reporter, which his father also bought, and The News. At DePauw, the younger Pulliam became president of the Society of Professional Journalists, which was co-founded there by his father 25 years earlier. After graduating in 1935, Pulliam joined United Press, working in the news service's bureaus in Chicago, Detroit and Buffalo, N.Y. He returned to Indianapolis in 1936 to become news director at radio station WIRE, then also owned by his father.
During World War II, he served 4 years in the Navy and rose to the rank of lieutenant commander in the Naval Reserve. After the war, he joined The Star, which his father had bought in 1944, working as aviation editor, assistant city editor and city editor. When the elder Pulliam bought the afternoon News in 1948, Pulliam became the paper's managing editor. In 1953 he served on a special committee of the American Society of Newspaper Editors formed to investigate McCarthy's attack on New York Post editor James Wechsler. Pulliam concluded the tactics of McCarthy, a central figure in the Communist scare of the 1950s were "not only a threat to the freedom of the press, but also a peril to America."
In 1962, Pulliam became assistant publisher of The Star and The News, taking over as publisher of the papers when his father died in 1975. Two years earlier, Pulliam was appointed executive vice-president of Central Newspapers, the parent company of the Pulliam newspaper group and publisher of the Indianapolis newspapers, the Muncie newspapers, The Vincennes Sun-Commercial, the Topics Newspapers of suburban Indianapolis, the Alexandria (La.) Daily Town Talk, and in Arizona, The Arizona Republic and The Phoenix Gazette, which ceased publication in 1997. He was active in professional news organizations, including Hoosier State Press Association, The Associated Press Managing Editors, the American Newspaper Publishers Association, the American Press Institute and the American Society of Newspaper Editors. In 1987, Pulliam was elected to the Indiana Journalism Hall of Fame. He held honorary degrees from DePauw, Marian College and Butler University. An avid golfer, Pulliam competed at the highest national amateur levels and served on the executive committee of the U. S. Golf Association. He was a member of Trinity Episcopal Church, where he served as vestryman and senior warden.
In addition to his wife, Jane, Pulliam is survived by two daughters, Myrta J. Pulliam, director of electronic news and information for Indianapolis Newspapers Inc., and Deborah S. Pulliam; a son, Russell B. Pulliam, editor of The News; two half-sisters, Corrine P. Quayle and Suzanne P. Murphy, and six grandchildren.
The Star Press, Friday, January 22, 1999.
Eugene S. (Gene) Pulliam, 84, who started out delivering newspapers as a school boy and rose to be publisher of The Indianapolis Star and The Indianapolis News, has died. He had been ill for most of the past year. Pulliam's long career in journalism included a stint from 1978 to 1991 during which he was also publisher of The Muncie Star and The Muncie Evening Press, which merged into The Star Press in 1996. He was also executive vice president of Central Newspapers Inc., of which Muncie newspapers have been a part since the 1940s, when Pulliam's father, Eugene C. Pulliam, founded the company.
Another Muncie publisher, James P. Quayle, was married to Eugene S. Pulliam's half sister, Corrine. Quayle was publisher in Muncie in 1973-78. Former Vice President Dan Quayle, nephew of Pulliam, said Thursday his uncle's "sense of fairness and integrity were unmatched." "He was a person deeply committed to making his newspapers good citizens of their communities," Quayle said in a statement.
The Indianapolis Star won the Pulitzer Prize twice during his tenure as publisher, for investigations on police corruption and medical malpractice. In a 1991 interview, Pulliam said: "I think newspapers will continue to be the only stable check on government." Louis A. Weil III, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Central Newspapers Inc., remembered Pulliam as a "newspaperman's newspaperman." "When I think of Gene Pulliam, I think of him as a very caring man because he cared about his family, he cared about his communities, and he cared about his newspapers," Weil said. "Most of all he cared about people and freedom."
Pulliam was born in Atchison, Kan., where his father owned the Atchison Champion newspaper. The family moved to Indiana after his father bought the Franklin Evening Star, and the younger Pulliam got his first newspaper job as a grade school boy delivering papers for the Lebanon Reporter, which his father also bought, and The News. At DePauw, the younger Pulliam became president of the Society of Professional Journalists, which was co-founded there by his father 25 years earlier. After graduating in 1935, Pulliam joined United Press, working in the news service's bureaus in Chicago, Detroit and Buffalo, N.Y. He returned to Indianapolis in 1936 to become news director at radio station WIRE, then also owned by his father.
During World War II, he served 4 years in the Navy and rose to the rank of lieutenant commander in the Naval Reserve. After the war, he joined The Star, which his father had bought in 1944, working as aviation editor, assistant city editor and city editor. When the elder Pulliam bought the afternoon News in 1948, Pulliam became the paper's managing editor. In 1953 he served on a special committee of the American Society of Newspaper Editors formed to investigate McCarthy's attack on New York Post editor James Wechsler. Pulliam concluded the tactics of McCarthy, a central figure in the Communist scare of the 1950s were "not only a threat to the freedom of the press, but also a peril to America."
In 1962, Pulliam became assistant publisher of The Star and The News, taking over as publisher of the papers when his father died in 1975. Two years earlier, Pulliam was appointed executive vice-president of Central Newspapers, the parent company of the Pulliam newspaper group and publisher of the Indianapolis newspapers, the Muncie newspapers, The Vincennes Sun-Commercial, the Topics Newspapers of suburban Indianapolis, the Alexandria (La.) Daily Town Talk, and in Arizona, The Arizona Republic and The Phoenix Gazette, which ceased publication in 1997. He was active in professional news organizations, including Hoosier State Press Association, The Associated Press Managing Editors, the American Newspaper Publishers Association, the American Press Institute and the American Society of Newspaper Editors. In 1987, Pulliam was elected to the Indiana Journalism Hall of Fame. He held honorary degrees from DePauw, Marian College and Butler University. An avid golfer, Pulliam competed at the highest national amateur levels and served on the executive committee of the U. S. Golf Association. He was a member of Trinity Episcopal Church, where he served as vestryman and senior warden.
In addition to his wife, Jane, Pulliam is survived by two daughters, Myrta J. Pulliam, director of electronic news and information for Indianapolis Newspapers Inc., and Deborah S. Pulliam; a son, Russell B. Pulliam, editor of The News; two half-sisters, Corrine P. Quayle and Suzanne P. Murphy, and six grandchildren.
The Star Press, Friday, January 22, 1999.
Buried January 23.
Eugene S. (Gene) Pulliam, 84, who started out delivering newspapers as a school boy and rose to be publisher of The Indianapolis Star and The Indianapolis News, has died. He had been ill for most of the past year. Pulliam's long career in journalism included a stint from 1978 to 1991 during which he was also publisher of The Muncie Star and The Muncie Evening Press, which merged into The Star Press in 1996. He was also executive vice president of Central Newspapers Inc., of which Muncie newspapers have been a part since the 1940s, when Pulliam's father, Eugene C. Pulliam, founded the company.
Another Muncie publisher, James P. Quayle, was married to Eugene S. Pulliam's half sister, Corrine. Quayle was publisher in Muncie in 1973-78. Former Vice President Dan Quayle, nephew of Pulliam, said Thursday his uncle's "sense of fairness and integrity were unmatched." "He was a person deeply committed to making his newspapers good citizens of their communities," Quayle said in a statement.
The Indianapolis Star won the Pulitzer Prize twice during his tenure as publisher, for investigations on police corruption and medical malpractice. In a 1991 interview, Pulliam said: "I think newspapers will continue to be the only stable check on government." Louis A. Weil III, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Central Newspapers Inc., remembered Pulliam as a "newspaperman's newspaperman." "When I think of Gene Pulliam, I think of him as a very caring man because he cared about his family, he cared about his communities, and he cared about his newspapers," Weil said. "Most of all he cared about people and freedom."
Pulliam was born in Atchison, Kan., where his father owned the Atchison Champion newspaper. The family moved to Indiana after his father bought the Franklin Evening Star, and the younger Pulliam got his first newspaper job as a grade school boy delivering papers for the Lebanon Reporter, which his father also bought, and The News. At DePauw, the younger Pulliam became president of the Society of Professional Journalists, which was co-founded there by his father 25 years earlier. After graduating in 1935, Pulliam joined United Press, working in the news service's bureaus in Chicago, Detroit and Buffalo, N.Y. He returned to Indianapolis in 1936 to become news director at radio station WIRE, then also owned by his father.
During World War II, he served 4 years in the Navy and rose to the rank of lieutenant commander in the Naval Reserve. After the war, he joined The Star, which his father had bought in 1944, working as aviation editor, assistant city editor and city editor. When the elder Pulliam bought the afternoon News in 1948, Pulliam became the paper's managing editor. In 1953 he served on a special committee of the American Society of Newspaper Editors formed to investigate McCarthy's attack on New York Post editor James Wechsler. Pulliam concluded the tactics of McCarthy, a central figure in the Communist scare of the 1950s were "not only a threat to the freedom of the press, but also a peril to America."
In 1962, Pulliam became assistant publisher of The Star and The News, taking over as publisher of the papers when his father died in 1975. Two years earlier, Pulliam was appointed executive vice-president of Central Newspapers, the parent company of the Pulliam newspaper group and publisher of the Indianapolis newspapers, the Muncie newspapers, The Vincennes Sun-Commercial, the Topics Newspapers of suburban Indianapolis, the Alexandria (La.) Daily Town Talk, and in Arizona, The Arizona Republic and The Phoenix Gazette, which ceased publication in 1997. He was active in professional news organizations, including Hoosier State Press Association, The Associated Press Managing Editors, the American Newspaper Publishers Association, the American Press Institute and the American Society of Newspaper Editors. In 1987, Pulliam was elected to the Indiana Journalism Hall of Fame. He held honorary degrees from DePauw, Marian College and Butler University. An avid golfer, Pulliam competed at the highest national amateur levels and served on the executive committee of the U. S. Golf Association. He was a member of Trinity Episcopal Church, where he served as vestryman and senior warden.
In addition to his wife, Jane, Pulliam is survived by two daughters, Myrta J. Pulliam, director of electronic news and information for Indianapolis Newspapers Inc., and Deborah S. Pulliam; a son, Russell B. Pulliam, editor of The News; two half-sisters, Corrine P. Quayle and Suzanne P. Murphy, and six grandchildren.
The Star Press, Friday, January 22, 1999.
Eugene S. (Gene) Pulliam, 84, who started out delivering newspapers as a school boy and rose to be publisher of The Indianapolis Star and The Indianapolis News, has died. He had been ill for most of the past year. Pulliam's long career in journalism included a stint from 1978 to 1991 during which he was also publisher of The Muncie Star and The Muncie Evening Press, which merged into The Star Press in 1996. He was also executive vice president of Central Newspapers Inc., of which Muncie newspapers have been a part since the 1940s, when Pulliam's father, Eugene C. Pulliam, founded the company.
Another Muncie publisher, James P. Quayle, was married to Eugene S. Pulliam's half sister, Corrine. Quayle was publisher in Muncie in 1973-78. Former Vice President Dan Quayle, nephew of Pulliam, said Thursday his uncle's "sense of fairness and integrity were unmatched." "He was a person deeply committed to making his newspapers good citizens of their communities," Quayle said in a statement.
The Indianapolis Star won the Pulitzer Prize twice during his tenure as publisher, for investigations on police corruption and medical malpractice. In a 1991 interview, Pulliam said: "I think newspapers will continue to be the only stable check on government." Louis A. Weil III, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Central Newspapers Inc., remembered Pulliam as a "newspaperman's newspaperman." "When I think of Gene Pulliam, I think of him as a very caring man because he cared about his family, he cared about his communities, and he cared about his newspapers," Weil said. "Most of all he cared about people and freedom."
Pulliam was born in Atchison, Kan., where his father owned the Atchison Champion newspaper. The family moved to Indiana after his father bought the Franklin Evening Star, and the younger Pulliam got his first newspaper job as a grade school boy delivering papers for the Lebanon Reporter, which his father also bought, and The News. At DePauw, the younger Pulliam became president of the Society of Professional Journalists, which was co-founded there by his father 25 years earlier. After graduating in 1935, Pulliam joined United Press, working in the news service's bureaus in Chicago, Detroit and Buffalo, N.Y. He returned to Indianapolis in 1936 to become news director at radio station WIRE, then also owned by his father.
During World War II, he served 4 years in the Navy and rose to the rank of lieutenant commander in the Naval Reserve. After the war, he joined The Star, which his father had bought in 1944, working as aviation editor, assistant city editor and city editor. When the elder Pulliam bought the afternoon News in 1948, Pulliam became the paper's managing editor. In 1953 he served on a special committee of the American Society of Newspaper Editors formed to investigate McCarthy's attack on New York Post editor James Wechsler. Pulliam concluded the tactics of McCarthy, a central figure in the Communist scare of the 1950s were "not only a threat to the freedom of the press, but also a peril to America."
In 1962, Pulliam became assistant publisher of The Star and The News, taking over as publisher of the papers when his father died in 1975. Two years earlier, Pulliam was appointed executive vice-president of Central Newspapers, the parent company of the Pulliam newspaper group and publisher of the Indianapolis newspapers, the Muncie newspapers, The Vincennes Sun-Commercial, the Topics Newspapers of suburban Indianapolis, the Alexandria (La.) Daily Town Talk, and in Arizona, The Arizona Republic and The Phoenix Gazette, which ceased publication in 1997. He was active in professional news organizations, including Hoosier State Press Association, The Associated Press Managing Editors, the American Newspaper Publishers Association, the American Press Institute and the American Society of Newspaper Editors. In 1987, Pulliam was elected to the Indiana Journalism Hall of Fame. He held honorary degrees from DePauw, Marian College and Butler University. An avid golfer, Pulliam competed at the highest national amateur levels and served on the executive committee of the U. S. Golf Association. He was a member of Trinity Episcopal Church, where he served as vestryman and senior warden.
In addition to his wife, Jane, Pulliam is survived by two daughters, Myrta J. Pulliam, director of electronic news and information for Indianapolis Newspapers Inc., and Deborah S. Pulliam; a son, Russell B. Pulliam, editor of The News; two half-sisters, Corrine P. Quayle and Suzanne P. Murphy, and six grandchildren.
The Star Press, Friday, January 22, 1999.
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