The Camden News
Encyclopedia
The Camden News is a daily newspaper
in Camden
, Arkansas
, which covers local news, sports, society, and business. It has a weekday circulation of 4,368.
Hurley sold the paper in 1929 to the Palmer Group, headed by Clyde E. Palmer
, a native of Iowa
, who renamed the publication The Camden News. Over several years, Palmer also acquired the larger Texarkana Gazette
in Texarkana
, Texas
. His other publications included The El Dorado News and The El Dorado Times in El Dorado
, Arkansas, and The Hot Springs New Era and The Hot Springs Sentinel Record in Hot Springs
, Arkansas. In 1949, Palmer sold The Camden News to his son-in-law and daughter, Walter E. Hussman, Sr.
and Betty Palmer Hussman.
On Palmer's death in 1957, his wife, Bettie Palmer, and daughter, Betty Hussman, inherited most of the stock in the company. The paper was then relocated to 113 North Madison Street across from the Camden Municipal Building. Through a reorganization in 1968, The Camden News technically became the parent company of the Palmer operations. Hussman, Sr., became head of the firm that published the then two Texarkana newspapers, morning and afternoon, as well as the other Palmer holdings.
(born 1947), became his father's administrative assistant and then general manager
of The Camden News. He moved to Hot Springs in 1973 to become vice president
and general manager of the overall Palmer Newspapers, which became a division of WEHCO Media. In 1981, after a career that spanned more than fifty years, the senior Hussman retired.
Hussman, Jr., still publishes the Palmer flagship newspaper, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
, popularly referred to as The Democrat, in Little Rock. This paper is the combined Arkansas Democrat and the former Arkansas Gazette
. Like the Democrat-Gazette, the Texarkana Gazette remains a subsidiary of WEHCO Media, an acronym of "Walter E. Hussman Company". In addition to The Camden News, WEHCO Media still publishes the other daily newspapers in Little Rock, Hot Springs, El Dorado, and Magnolia
, Arkansas.
, who was also a law partner of U.S. Senator John McClellan
, a close friend of Walter E. Hussman, Sr. The case, perhaps the most sensational of the 20th century to come from Camden, attracted statewide and national attention but was never solved. In 1986, the former Arkansas Gazette, prior to its purchase as the Democrat-Gazette by the Hussmans, began an a 18-part series on the case. The stories ended without resolution. In 1969, Crawford's husband, Clyde Crawford, died in Camden. She was ultimately declared dead in 1969 of unknown "foul play" as of the night of her disappearance, March 2, 1957.
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
in Camden
Camden, Arkansas
Camden is a city in and the county seat of Ouachita County in the southern part of the U.S. state of Arkansas. Long an area of American Indians villages, the French also made a permanent settlement here because of its advantageous location above the Ouachita River. According to 2007 Census...
, Arkansas
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
, which covers local news, sports, society, and business. It has a weekday circulation of 4,368.
Background
Originally located at 116 Jefferson Street, the newspaper was founded in 1920 by Curtis B. Hurley as the Camden Evening News.Hurley sold the paper in 1929 to the Palmer Group, headed by Clyde E. Palmer
Clyde E. Palmer
Clyde Eber Palmer was the owner of a chain of newspapers and radio stations and a television outlet covering southwestern Arkansas and part of northeastern Texas during the early to middle 20th century. He operated his media conglomerate from Texarkana, Texas.- Early years :Palmer was born to Mr....
, a native of Iowa
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
, who renamed the publication The Camden News. Over several years, Palmer also acquired the larger Texarkana Gazette
Texarkana Gazette
The Texarkana Gazette is a daily newspaper founded in 1875 and currently owned by WEHCO Media, Inc. It serves Texarkana and surrounding areas....
in Texarkana
Texarkana, Texas
Texarkana is a city in Bowie County, Texas, United States. It effectively functions as one half of a city which crosses a state line — the other half, the city of Texarkana, Arkansas, lies on the other side of State Line Avenue...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. His other publications included The El Dorado News and The El Dorado Times in El Dorado
El Dorado, Arkansas
El Dorado , a multi-cultural arts center: South Arkansas Arts Center , an award-winning renovated downtown, and numerous sporting, shopping, and dining opportunities. El Dorado is the population, cultural, and business center of the 7,300 mi² regional area...
, Arkansas, and The Hot Springs New Era and The Hot Springs Sentinel Record in Hot Springs
Hot Springs, Arkansas
Hot Springs is the 10th most populous city in the U.S. state of Arkansas, the county seat of Garland County, and the principal city of the Hot Springs Metropolitan Statistical Area encompassing all of Garland County...
, Arkansas. In 1949, Palmer sold The Camden News to his son-in-law and daughter, Walter E. Hussman, Sr.
Walter E. Hussman, Sr.
Walter Edward Hussman, Sr. , was a mass media magnate from Camden, Arkansas, whose holdings included six daily newspapers in Arkansas, several radio and television stations, including the NBC outlet KTAL-TV in Texarkana, Texas, and seventeen cable systems in four states.-Early years, education,...
and Betty Palmer Hussman.
On Palmer's death in 1957, his wife, Bettie Palmer, and daughter, Betty Hussman, inherited most of the stock in the company. The paper was then relocated to 113 North Madison Street across from the Camden Municipal Building. Through a reorganization in 1968, The Camden News technically became the parent company of the Palmer operations. Hussman, Sr., became head of the firm that published the then two Texarkana newspapers, morning and afternoon, as well as the other Palmer holdings.
WEHCO Media
In 1970, Walter E. Hussman, Jr.Walter E. Hussman, Jr.
Walter E. Hussman, Jr. , is a third-generation newspaper publisher and chief executive officer of a mass media conglomerate known as WEHCO Media, Inc...
(born 1947), became his father's administrative assistant and then general manager
General manager
General manager is a descriptive term for certain executives in a business operation. It is also a formal title held by some business executives, most commonly in the hospitality industry.-Generic usage:...
of The Camden News. He moved to Hot Springs in 1973 to become vice president
Vice president
A vice president is an officer in government or business who is below a president in rank. The name comes from the Latin vice meaning 'in place of'. In some countries, the vice president is called the deputy president...
and general manager of the overall Palmer Newspapers, which became a division of WEHCO Media. In 1981, after a career that spanned more than fifty years, the senior Hussman retired.
Hussman, Jr., still publishes the Palmer flagship newspaper, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette is the newspaper of record in the U.S. state of Arkansas, printed in Little Rock with a northwest edition published in Lowell...
, popularly referred to as The Democrat, in Little Rock. This paper is the combined Arkansas Democrat and the former Arkansas Gazette
Arkansas Gazette
The Arkansas Gazette, known as the oldest newspaper west of the Mississippi River, and located from 1908 until its October 18, 1991 closing at the now historic Gazette Building, was for many years the newspaper of record for Little Rock and the State of Arkansas...
. Like the Democrat-Gazette, the Texarkana Gazette remains a subsidiary of WEHCO Media, an acronym of "Walter E. Hussman Company". In addition to The Camden News, WEHCO Media still publishes the other daily newspapers in Little Rock, Hot Springs, El Dorado, and Magnolia
Magnolia, Arkansas
Magnolia is a city in Columbia County, Arkansas, United States, that was founded in 1853. At the time of its incorporation in 1858, the city had a population of about 1,950. The city grew slowly as an agricultural and regional cotton market until the discovery of oil just east of the city in March,...
, Arkansas.
Maud Crawford case
In 1957, The Camden News began an investigation into the disappearance of Camden attorney and former city council member Maud Robinson CrawfordMaud Crawford
Maud Robinson Crawford was the first woman attorney in Camden, Arkansas; her disappearance and presumed death sparked attention for more than three decades. The case remains officially unsolved.-Background:...
, who was also a law partner of U.S. Senator John McClellan
John Little McClellan
John Little McClellan was a Democratic Party politician from Arkansas. He represented Arkansas in the United States Senate from 1943 until 1977. He also earlier represented Arkansas in the United States House of Representatives.-Early life:McClellan was born in Sheridan, Grant County, Arkansas...
, a close friend of Walter E. Hussman, Sr. The case, perhaps the most sensational of the 20th century to come from Camden, attracted statewide and national attention but was never solved. In 1986, the former Arkansas Gazette, prior to its purchase as the Democrat-Gazette by the Hussmans, began an a 18-part series on the case. The stories ended without resolution. In 1969, Crawford's husband, Clyde Crawford, died in Camden. She was ultimately declared dead in 1969 of unknown "foul play" as of the night of her disappearance, March 2, 1957.
Notable staffers
- Charles E. Bever, formerly of Hot SpringsHot Springs, ArkansasHot Springs is the 10th most populous city in the U.S. state of Arkansas, the county seat of Garland County, and the principal city of the Hot Springs Metropolitan Statistical Area encompassing all of Garland County...
, Arkansas, and current resident of Glen AllenGlen Allen, VirginiaGlen Allen is a census-designated place in Henrico County, Virginia, United States. The population was 12,562 at the 2000 census.-Geography:...
, near RichmondRichmond, VirginiaRichmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
, Virginia, was managing editor of The Camden News from 1972–1974. He was later the managing editor of the Monroe News StarMonroe News StarThe News-Star is the principal newspaper of Monroe and northeastern Louisiana. Its circulation area ranges over some dozen parishes from Ruston, the seat of Lincoln Parish, on the west, to Tallulah in Madison Parish on the east, to the Arkansas state line on the north, and to Ferriday in Concordia...
, then known as the Monroe Morning News.
- Rebecca Jo Tubb Mulkey (1949–1999), a native of MagnoliaMagnolia, ArkansasMagnolia is a city in Columbia County, Arkansas, United States, that was founded in 1853. At the time of its incorporation in 1858, the city had a population of about 1,950. The city grew slowly as an agricultural and regional cotton market until the discovery of oil just east of the city in March,...
, Arkansas, was a features writer for The Camden News from 1972–1973, after which she moved to Alexandria Daily Town TalkThe Town Talk (Alexandria)The Town Talk, started as The Daily Town Talk in 1883 and later named the Alexandria Daily Town Talk, is the major newspaper of Central Louisiana. It is published by Gannett in Alexandria, the seat of Rapides Parish and the economic center of Central Louisiana.The daily newspaper has a circulation...
in AlexandriaAlexandria, LouisianaAlexandria is a city in and the parish seat of Rapides Parish, Louisiana, United States. It lies on the south bank of the Red River in almost the exact geographic center of the state. It is the principal city of the Alexandria metropolitan area which encompasses all of Rapides and Grant parishes....
, LouisianaLouisianaLouisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
, and later the Torrance Daily Breeze in TorranceTorrance, CaliforniaTorrance is a city incorporated in 1921 and located in the South Bay region of Los Angeles County, California, United States. Torrance has of shore-front beaches on the Pacific Ocean, quieter and less well-known by tourists than others on the Santa Monica Bay, such as those of neighboring...
, CaliforniaCaliforniaCalifornia is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
.
- Lucelle Smith Newton, known as Lucy Newton (1908–2004), was a musician and the longtime society editor of The Camden News. She authored The First Baptist Church of Camden, Arkansas — How It Came to Be, 1842-1985.
- W. L. Ward (1945–1999), was the managing editor of The Camden News during the second half of the 1960s until 1972, when he joined the staff of Shreveport Times in ShreveportShreveport, LouisianaShreveport is the third largest city in Louisiana. It is the principal city of the fourth largest metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana and is the 109th-largest city in the United States....
, LouisianaLouisianaLouisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
. He was copy editor and then state editor of The Times. He left the profession in 1998, more than a year before his death from leukemiaLeukemiaLeukemia or leukaemia is a type of cancer of the blood or bone marrow characterized by an abnormal increase of immature white blood cells called "blasts". Leukemia is a broad term covering a spectrum of diseases...
.