| February 2005 | |
Obituaries Sharon Bearden
Sharon McCann Bearden, 38, an assistant news editor for The Dallas Morning News, died Feb. 6, 2005 of melanoma.
Bearden worked for The News for more than 16 years, rising from a part-time suburban editor to her role as an assistant news editor, responsible for page-one-layout and nightly news judgment decisions.
Dana A. Blocker
Dana A. Blocker, 89, former editor of the Sherman Democrat, died Jan. 4, 2005.
Blocker began 50 years in newspapers while still in high school, working for the school paper and the Texarkana Gazette. Blocker joined the Democrat after finishing a military career.
Charles R. Cook
Charles R. “Chuck” Cook, 60, a former reporter for The Dallas Morning News, died Dec. 26, 2004 of complica
tions of a stroke at a hospital in Loma Linda, Calif.
He worked for the News from 1980-82 and later for a number of newspapers, including the Orange County Register, the Los Angeles Herald-Examiner and the Arizona Republic.
Stewart Davis
Stewart Davis, whose journalism career included covering state government for the Houston Chronicle and The Dallas Morning News, died Jan. 25, 2005 of lung cancer.
He served as bureau chief for the Morning News, covering the Capitol during the Sharpstown scandal.
After leaving the newspaper, he headed the communications department for the Texas Department of Human Services and later became director of communications for Protective and Regulatory Services.
Amelia Feathers
Amelia Feathers, 45, managing editor of The Orange Leader, died Jan. 31,
2005 after a sudden illness. Feathers had been fighting leukemia for 11 years, friends said, and often kept her cancer diagnosis private. She also had worked at the Port Arthur News. James Fontenot
James “Big Jim” Fontenot, 82, who represented Metro Creative Graphics for more than 25 years in Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi, died Dec. 31, 2004.
As a traveling salesman for Metro, Fontenot sold the company’s graphics software to many newspapers in Texas and other states. Prior to joining Metro, he sold advertising for the Dallas Times Herald and also served as mayor of Mesquite from 1959-61.
Mary Irish
Mary Rettig Irish, 59, wife of Hearst Newspapers President George B. Irish, died Jan. 23, 2005 at home in Plano after a lengthy battle with cancer. Hearst owns six dailies in Texas, including the Houston Chronicle.
Leaford D. Miller
Leaford D. Miller, 78, died Jan. 13, 2005.
He interviewed John Wayne during the 1959 filming of The Alamo while working as a newspaper reporter for the San Antonio Light where he worked from 1957-65.
He also was a Fort Sam Houston public affairs specialist.
He also worked as a sports editor and writer for small newspapers in the Midwest and was news editor of the Northwest Arkansas Times in Fayetteville.
Kerwin Plevka
Kerwin Plevka, 54, assistant director of photography for the Houston Chronicle, died Feb. 11, 2005 at his home.
Plevka was recognized for his photo work by the National Headliner Awards, the Texas Associated Press Managing Editors and the Katies.
He joined the Chronicle in 1988, after working for United Press International and newspapers and a magazine in Missouri.
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