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A memorial service for William Brent "Bill" Walter, 82, Hennessey, will be held Fri., May 12, at 10:30 a.m. at the First United Methodist Church. He died Mon. afternoon, May 8, 2017. Cordry-Gritz Funeral Home of Hennessey is in charge of the arrangements.
Bill donated his body to the OU Medical Research Program.
He was a third generation publisher of The Hennessey Clipper which was in his family from 1904-2014. He retired and sold the newspaper in late Dec. 2014.
He was born in Dewey April 27, 1935, to Art and Jean Walter.
In 1945, at the age of 10, he was putting up leads and slugs as a Printer's Devil and was delivering printed death notices after school. At 15, his dad finally let him print the newspaper on a press once used to print Baby Ruth candy wrappers. Bill's newspaper education and jobs varied: Central State, 1953; Okmulgee A&M Tech, one semester linotype operation, 1954, then ran linotype at Okeene Record that summer; OU journalism major and part-time back shop employee at Oklahoma Daily, 1955-58; Alva Review-Courier, linotype operator, summer of 1958; backshop employee at OBU Press for a few months, 1958; returned to OU as a part-time student and full-time Oklahoma Daily employee, 1958; graduated from OU, 1962; PR director, Cimarron Electric Cooperative, Kingfisher, 1963-67; PR director, Oklahoma Turnpike Authority, Okla. City, 1967-81, and managing editor, then owner and co-publisher, The Hennessey Clipper, 1977-2014.
He was a big promoter of the Hennessey community and loved its people, even if he couldn't always remember their names.
When he first returned home in 1977, he said that he drank five cups of coffee around a table at Wong's Restaurant (without a bathroom trip) just so he could hear a guy's name that he should've known without asking. No one ever said it, so he had to ask him.
Bill loved photography and was the newspaper's expert in that department. His collection of cameras were donated to the Hennessey Public Library several years ago, and are still on display. Another Hennessey graduate donated $3,000 to the library to set up the Barbara and Bill Walter Digitized Hennessey Clipper Collection for research.
Bill was a past president of the Hennessey Lions Club, Hennessey Chamber of Commerce, Retail Merchants Association, Kiwanis Club and Hennessey Celebration Inc. He was chosen as co-grand marshals of the 1989 Pat Hennessy Celebration Parade.
He won numerous awards for his photography, editorials and newswriting. The Clipper was named Hennessey's Business of the Century by its readers in 2000.
Bill was inducted in the HHS Hall of Fame in 2004; the state Journalism Hall of Fame in 2008, and the Okla. Press Association's Half Century Club in 2013.
Bill is survived by his wife of 45 years, Barb; five children. Courtney B. Walter (Diana), St. Louis, Jill D. Jenkins (Barry), Edmond, Tracy L. Anderson (Terry) of Perry, Amy C. Carpenter (Cham) of Edmond and Nick Walter, Hennessey; seven grandchildren, Jarrod (Jess), Rachel, Dylan, Katy (Michael), Cody, Kinsey, Gracie and Emerald, and one great-granddaughter, Lorelai Josephine.
Memorials are suggested to the donor's choice, or the Okla. Newspaper Foundation, 3601 N. Lincoln, Okla. City 73105; the state Alzheimer's Association, 3448 E. 81st, Suite 3000, Tulsa 74137, or the Hennessey Public Library (Research/Walter Clipper Collection).
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