Harold Eugene Saylor 1930-1972

SAYLOR, RAINES, RITZ

Posted By: Sharon Elijah (email)
Date: 10/2/2016 at 08:43:31

28 December 1972 - The North Cedar Press

The Wilton-Durant community was shocked and saddened Monday by the unexpected and untimely death of H. E. (Gene) Saylor, 42, editor-publisher of the S-R Advocate News and the president and manager of Trico Publishers, Inc., of Wilton. He died at 5 a.m. December 26, in Mercy Hospital at Davenport following a brief illness.

The funeral will be held Friday at 1:30 p.m. at the Presbyterian Church in Wilton, the Rev. G. W. Ukena officiating. Pallbearers will be Harland Grunder Sr., D. R. Norris, W. R. Rabedeaux, Jake Davies, John Wyatt and Hugh Doty of Mechanicsville. Interment will be in Oakdale Cemetery, Wilton.

Harold Eugene Saylor, son of the late Robert Saylor and Mildred Raines Saylor, was born March 19, 1930, at Pulaski, Iowa. He graduated from Pulaski High School and received his B.A. degree with a journalism-radio major from Drake University, Des Moines.

The decedent was in the armed services from 1948 to 1952, and was discharged as a staff sergeant. He specialized in radio communications during his Army service, attending two radio schools and teaching in one. He was sent to Eniwietok Island in the Pacific with a special atomic energy project. Overseas, he operated an armed services radio station, then was a radio repairman at Eglin Air Force Base until completion of his service.

He was married Jan. 31, 1953 to Betty Ritz. The couple located in Des Moines and Gene Saylor enrolled at Drake to complete his college education. While there, he was employed by the Des Moines Register, and also served as sports editor and desk editor of the Drake student newspaper. He was chosen by Sigma Delta Chi, national journalistic fraternity, as Drake's outstanding male graduate of 1955.

Following graduation, the decedent began employment with the Osceola Sentinel as reporter-photographer and advertising salesman. In 1957 he came to Wilton as information director for Eastern Iowa Light and Power Cooperative. In 1966, he purchased in partnership with W. R. Rabedeaux the Wilton Advocate, and assumed the editorship of the community newspaper.

Gene Saylor was an active and aggressive business man. He guided the Advocate to a high level of community newspaper quality. In 1968, the S-R Advocate News joined with the Tipton Conservative, Mechanicsville North Cedar Press, West Liberty Index, and Lone Tree Reporter in forming the Trico Publishing Company. Trico built a thriving newspaper printing enterprise in Wilton, erecting a large and modern building that houses much modern printing, type-setting and photographic equipment for operating a central offset method printing plant.

Present stockholders in Trico are the Wilton, Tipton, and Mechanicsville newspapers.

Surviving are his wife; one son, and three daughters.

Memorials may be made to the Cancer Memorial Fund at the Gill Funeral Home in Wilton.