Willie Virginia Bullard

Willie Virginia Bullard, 96, of Madisonville, died on Sept. 22, 2006. Bullard had worked as a reporter for The Madisonville Meteor for about 25 years.

Horace Craig

Horace “Chief” Craig, 81, died of cancer Oct. 1, 2006, in Richland Hills. His journalism career including stints as a Fort Worth Star-Telegram editor, reporter, editorial writer and columnist. He retired from the Star-Telegram in 1981.

Clara Fentress

Clara Fentress, 104, died Oct. 2, 2006. Former first lady of the Waco Tribune-Herald, she was the widow of Harlon Fentress, who was chairman emeritus of Newspapers Inc. at the time of his death in 1975. The company published papers in Waco, Lufkin, Port Arthur and Austin.

Ann Freelander

Ann James Freelander, 77, died Oct. 22, 2006, after a brief illness. Freelander entered journalism in the 1960s and was a reporter at the Bay City Tribune, Angleton Times and The Houston Post. She also was president of the Houston Press Club. Her husband, Doug Freelander, former Post city editor, died in 2004.

Richard Hardin

Richard Dee “Dick” Hardin, 65, died Nov. 3, 2006, at the Hospice Inpatient Unit at Midland Memorial Hospital after a lengthy illness.

He was a classifieds advertising manager at the Midland Reporter-Telegram, where he had worked for more than 25 years.

Barbara King

Barbara King, 70, died Oct. 8, 2006, at Rio Grande Regional Hospital of complications from pneumonia. King was a former Monitor and Mission Progress Times reporter. She  was the wife of Progress Times editor Jack King.

George McElroy

George McElroy, 84, died Oct. 7, 2006, from acute respiratory distress syndrome. McElroy became the first black columnist for The Houston Post.

McElroy got his first newspaper job at age 16, writing a youth column for the Houston Informer, Houston’s oldest black newspaper, and became the first black with a journalism degree to teach journalism in Houston high schools. He later taught at the University of Houston and Texas Southern University.

Dolphine McKelvain

Dolphine Nelms McKelvain, 87, died Oct. 16, 2006, at Mesa Springs Nursing Center. She was employed as secretary to Howard McMahon, assistant publisher of the Abilene Reporter-News, from 1941-48.

Bernard Skillings

Bernard Skillings, 74, died Oct. 21, 2006,  in Floresville. He was assistant circulation manager when he retired after 28 years with the San Antonio Express. One of his daughters, and his eldest son and daughter-in-law all deliver the newspaper. A son-in-law is a district manager.