Sale of DEMOCRAT

Typed as spelled – Lena Stone Criswell

THE DAILY DEMOCRAT

Sixtieth Year – Number 127

Marlin, Texas, Wednesday, August 31, 1960

SALE OF THE DEMOCRAT ANNOUNCED WEDNESDAY WITH HYMAN FORTINBERRY, JR. AS PUBLISHER IN CHARGE

Purchase of the Daily Democrat and the semi-weekly Marlin Democrat by Hyman L. (Hy) Fortinberry, Jr. and R. E. (Dick) Dwelle of Athens was announced today by Geo. S. Buchanan, publisher of the paper for the past 16 years.

Fortinberry will assume active management and will become publisher of the papers on September 1^st, the day the transfer of ownership becomes effective.

The new owners announced that they have no plans for any change in personnel. “We feel fortunate, too, that Mr. Buchanan has agreed to aid us in an advisory capacity for a period of time,” Fortinberry said.

The new publisher is a graduate of Southwestern University, Georgetown, Texas, where he majored in business, was a member of the university golf team and was active in campus affairs and in the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity.

Fortinberry has been advertising manager of the Athens Daily Review for the past three years. He was associated with Burrus Mills in sales and public relations prior to entering the newspaper field.

Dwelle is owner and publisher of the Athens paper and also has an interest in the semi-weekly Winkler County News in Kermit, Texas. He has been in the newspaper business for 14 years.

The new owners said they plan to continue the paper’s present policy of featuring local news as Mr. Buchanan has done.

They hope to make additional improvements in the paper as time progresses, always keeping abreast of community growth.

“Mr. Buchanan in the 16 years that he has operated The Democrat has done much to improve the paper and through the Democrat, his efforts have helped build Marlin and the trade territory. “Under our management, the aim of the Democrat will be a continuous program of service to Marlin and the surrounding area,” Fortinberry said.

The new owners not only plan to continue the operation of the Democrat’s job printing department, but will endeavor to expand this phase of the business.

In announcing the sale of The Marlin Democrat Publishing Company and its business and production features and goodwill, there is an accompanying feeling of sentiment that cannot be fully expressed.

This action has been carefully considered. The Marlin Democrat has served Falls County for 71 years, and The Daily Democrat has been Marlin’s only daily newspaper for 60 years with more than 50 years of having the great Associated Press news service.

The Democrat’s business in Marlin ranks among less than a half dozen of the community’s enterprises to be continuously in operation over so long a time.

“Every business must be sold sometime,” is a statement that is hard to realize in its full meaning. The understanding becomes more real with time.

The decision to sell The Democrat has been strictly voluntary. During nearly 16 years that we have owned and operated this business and its newspapers we have seen it grow in size, facilities, prestige, circulation – and most of all – more friends. We are grateful to everyone for these achievements.

We are deeply grateful to every employee of The Democrat. They have been faithful in the performance of their respective duties and were the first to be told of the business change being considered. Their connections with the business in the future are as important as other major factors in the transaction.

We wish to thank every friend acquaintance, official, subscriber, advertiser, business and professional person; every club, organization, church and agency, every community news contributor and everyone who has had any part in helping us to make The Democrat so successful in serving Marlin, Falls County and the community.

The new owners of The Democrat are prominent and well known in Texas newspaper circles and will be appreciated in this area as rapidly as they will become acquainted.

We love Marlin and Falls County and it will always be our home.

Mr. and Mrs. Geo. S. Buchanan