1959-60 Tom Whitehead Sr. Brenham Banner Press

Tom S. Whitehead Sr., 82nd president, was born Nov. 16, 1900, in Denton.

He received his first training and experience in news reporting on the staff of the Denton Record-Chronicle. He studied journalism for three years at the University of Texas starting in 1919 and at the same time served as news editor of the Austin American.

For 15 years he served as editor of newspapers for Fentress-March in Georgia, Massachusetts and New Jersey and in Texas for newspapers in Waco, Wichita Falls, Port Arthur, Cisco, Texarkana and Breckenridge. In 1937 he became editor and publisher of the Brenham Banner-Press, which he operated for 25 years, selling in 1962.

He served as president of Texas Gulf Coast Press Association in 1943-44.

In 1947 he founded radio station KWHI.

He married Edythe Kerley on May 4, 1924, and had one son, Tom S. Whitehead Jr., who also worked at the Banner-Press.