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Obituaries published in the December edition of the Texas Press Messenger.

W. Leon Smith
CLIFTON – Longtime Clifton Record publisher W. Leon Smith, who also published newspapers in other counties, died Oct. 27 in Clifton. He was 67.
A 1971 graduate of Clifton High School and 1972 graduate of Hill College, Smith was co-owner and publisher of The Clifton Record from 1979 until 2009.
His family became owners of the Record in 1965 and he started his career there sweeping the floors, melting lead slugs into ingots to be reused in the old “hot-type” printing process, and sometimes getting to operate the once Linotype machines.
Following college, he worked for the Johnson County News in Cleburne and was later the editor of The Burkburnett Informer-Star before returning to school at The University of Texas-Permian Basin.
The Clifton Record, which had been sold while Smith was in school, was again bought by the Smith family in 1979, when he took over as publisher.
During his newspaper career, he also published newspapers in Dublin, Stephenville, Whitney, Crawford, Valley Mills and Evant.
In 2000, Smith helped found The Lone Star Iconoclast, a newspaper in Crawford, where then President George Bush owned a ranch. After having endorsed Bush for president in 2000, Smith and others on the Iconoclast editorial board decided in 2004 to endorse his opponent, John Kerry. Their endorsement editorial was reprinted in newspapers across the nation, often headlined as “Bush’s hometown paper endorses Kerry.” Smith and the other editors were interviewed by many major news outlets, garnering Smith a front page photo in the New York Times, appearances on television and invitations to national events. He continued to occasionally update the Iconoclast online publication and his last posting was an editorial endorsing Democratic nominee Joe Biden int he 2020 presidential election.
He was a Clifton City Council member from 1982 to 1983 and served as Mayor of Clifton for two terms from 2001 to 2006.  He served two terms as president of the Clifton Chamber of Commerce, was a charter board member of the City of Clifton Economic Development Corporation, and was instrumental in the formation of the Bosque Animal Rescue Kennels (BARK).
Following the sale of The Clifton Record, Smith published several fiction and non-fiction books. He also founded two companies, River Bend Landscaping and Keyhole Farms LLC. He also owned the CLIFTEX Theatre from 2000 to 2008.
He is survived by his wife of 35 years, Carole, five children and three grandchildren.
A small family memorial service was planned, with Clifton Funeral Home in charge of the arrangements. Memorials may be made to Bosque Animal Rescue Kennels, PO Box 264, Clifton, TX 76634.

Harry W. Nixon
SAN ANTONIO – Harry W. Nixon, who practiced and taught journalism and public relations for decades, died Nov. 2. He was 97.
A native of San Antonio, Nixon attended San Antonio College and graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a bachelor of journalism degree and from St. Mary’s University with a master’s degree in English.
He worked his way through college as a part-time sports writer for the San Antonio Light and Express and News and as a radio announcer and disc jockey for stations KMAC and KISS.
He served in combat with the 103rd Infantry (Cactus) Division in France during World War II, was injured in action and captured by the German Army. He spent five months as a prisoner of war in Germany. He was awarded the Purple Heart, Bronze Star medal, Prisoner-of-War Medal, Combat Infantryman’s Badge and French Legion of Honor. His POW mementos are displayed at the National WWII Museum in New Orleans.
Nixon served as a journalism instructor and public relations director for St. Mary’s University and was executive assistant to San Antonio’s first City Manager, C.A. Harrell, before beginning employment at Kelly AFB as civilian public affairs officer in charge of media relations, a position he held for 28 years.
After he retired in 1982, he worked in the public relations office at Trinity University for seven years. He later worked part-time for 17 years, serving as the official scorekeeper for UTSA basketball games. He scored several NCAA Final Four games in San Antonio.
A member of the Knights of Columbus, Hermann Sons and Turner Club, Nixon was a founding member and former Eucharistic minister of Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church in San Antonio.
He is survived by his wife, Estelle Stanzel Nixon, four sons and four grandchildren.
Funeral services were held Nov. 5, at Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church. Burial followed in Holy Cross Cemetery.