Obituaries

Betty Baird

Betty Baird, columnist and reporter for the Big Sandy and Hawkins Journal for more than 14 years, died on Nov. 10, 2005, in Tyler.

W.K. Barnett

W.K. “Bill” Barnett, 82, died Nov. 7, 2005. He worked for the Big Spring Herald and was a reporter for the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal after graduating from Texas Tech University. He was a past president of the Ex-students Association and the Red Raider Club.

Ben A. Boren

Ben A. Boren, 78, died on Nov. 11, 2005, at the Ochiltree General Hospital in Perryton.

In 1951 Ben and Clara Boren moved to Seiling, Okla., where he began publishing the Seiling paper. In 1960 he became the sports editor for the Enid (Okla.) Morning News and Eagle. They remained in Enid until 1970 when they purchased the Booker News, which they operated until 1996 when they retired.

Dorothy E. Fenoglio

Dorothy E. Fenoglio, 84, died Nov. 1, 2005, in Wichita Falls.

She married Clarence Fenoglio in 1940 and they operated the City Cafe in Byers for several years. She wrote the Byers News in the Clay County Leader for many years.

Robert Lange

Robert Eugene Bob Lange, 74, died Oct. 30, 2005, at Methodist Hospital in San Antonio, three days after undergoing cancer surgery.

A 1953 journalism graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, Lange opted for the advertising end of the newspaper industry. His first job was at the then-Beaumont Enterprise & Journal. In 1960, he came to the San Antonio Express and stayed 15 years before heading to the Boston Herald. He returned to San Antonio in 1986.

Ray Mariotti

Ray Mariotti, 64, died Nov. 18, 2005, of cancer in Hayesville, N.C.

He was editor of the Austin American-Statesman from 1976 until 1984.

Mariotti began his newspaper career at 16 on the sports desk of his hometown newspaper, the Bluefield (W.Va.) Daily Telegraph. He became editor of the Palm Beach (Fla.) Post in December 1972.

Lou Maysel

Lou Maysel, 82, died Nov. 18, 2005, after suffering a brain hemorrhage caused by a fall.

He was a longtime sports editor and columnist at the Austin American-Statesman. Maysel chronicled the development of University of Texas football from 1893 to 1977 in a two-volume work, “Here Come the Longhorns.”

Joe Pickle

Joe Pickle, 94, died in Austin on Nov. 8, 2005.

Pickle worked for the Big Spring Herald for 43 years, 36 of those as managing editor. Pickle, brother of U.S. Rep. Jake Pickle, joined the paper in 1932 after graduating from Baylor University.

Pickle served as president of West Texas Press Association and Texas Associated Press Managing Editors. He was awarded the Texas Headliner Award for lifetime achievement. He retired from the Herald in 1975.

David Westheimer

David Westheimer, 88, died Nov. 8, 2005, of heart failure in Los Angeles.

He was an editor and columnist for The Houston Post who wrote “My Sweet Charlie” and “Von Ryan’s Express.”

Westheimer joined the Post in 1939 as an amusements writer and eventually worked his way up to radio, magazine and TV editor before leaving the paper in 1960.