Hood County News Publisher Jerry Tidwell retires

GRANBURY – Jerry Tidwell retired April 2 after 47 years in the newspaper business, the last 41 years as publisher of the Hood County News.
A past TPA president (1996-96) and Texas Newspaper Hall of Fame honoree, Tidwell has been an industry leader for decades. He served as president of the National Newspaper Association in 2006-07. In 2016, he and Roy Eaton co-chaired the NNA Convention held that year in San Antonio. At the regional level, he has been active in the North and East Texas Press Association, serving as president in 1984-85, and the West Texas Press Association.
A native of Andrews, Tidwell graduated from Texas Christian University in 1967. 
He studied management and graduated with a business degree, then worked for four years as an industrial engineer in Fort Worth. 
“I was bored stiff and I hated it,” Tidwell said in an interview for the Texas Newspaper Oral History project.
Tidwell credits James Roberts of Roberts Publishing Group for turning him toward advertising sales and newspaper publishing.
He started his newspaper career in 1970 as advertising manager of the Andrews County News. He later transferred to the Seminole Sentinel, where he was advertising manager for three years. 
In 1976 he was named publisher of the Lamb County News in Littlefield.
In 1979, Tidwell became publisher of the Hood County News, which dates to 1886. 
Since then, he has led the newspaper to numerous regional, state and national awards.
Tidwell and his wife Lula plan to continue living in Granbury, where he plans a busy retirement spending time with his family, including his daughter Jamie and son Derek, who live in Granbury with their families.
In a recent interview in The Hood County News, Tidwell said his proudest achievement was bringing “a great quality newspaper to our community every issue. I think people often took that for granted.”