Last Saturday, March 8, John Stahle, Jr. was inducted into the Utah Press Association's Hall of Fame. Although the 35-year publisher of the Davis County Clipper died in 1989, his influence is still felt: through his five sons and one daughter, all of whom worked at the Clipper at one point in their lives. Many of them went on to become publishers and editors in their own right. For instance, R. Gail Stahle, the current publisher, founded a weekly newspaper in St. George, taking it to daily status as the Daily Spectrum. Other of the sons have also carried on their father and grandfather's legacy. Howard, the eldest son, today publishes the West Valley News and Magna Times, and at one time owned newspapers in Morgan, Roy and Clearfield, as well as in Nevada. For many years, Dean Stahle served as manager of the Clipper and two North Davis papers: the Kaysville Weekly Reflex and Davis News Journal. He also covered the Bountiful City Council for many years and chronicled the area through taking many photos.

Larry Stahle became a mentor for many aspiring journalists while working as a professor at Weber State University. He also was publisher of newspapers in Sanpete County. Niles worked for the Clipper while growing up, but went into law enforcement, serving as police chief of North Salt Lake for some years. Daughter Merna was involved for many years as bookkeeper for the paper.

Lucile Schulthies, who married John, Jr. in 1924, also became pivotal to the Clipper's success. For many years, she was the sole advertising representative and would go up and down Bountiful's then bustling Main Street, and beyond, generating revenue for the newspaper. As was noted in the biography prepared for the Press Association, many believe she is every bit as deserving of the award as her husband.

John Stahle, Jr., was born in 1903, at a time when the automobile was still a novelty, and the radio or TV had yet to be invented. Yet, he lived into a time when his beloved Linotype, on which lead newspaper type was fashioned into articles, was replaced by the personal computer, pagination, and the revolutionary changes that have come mechanically to publications today.

With his father, co-founder of the Clipper, and then for many years after, John Stahle, Jr., molded the Clipper into what it is today. He kept it going financially through thick and thin times, through the Great Depression and beyond, when countless weekly newspapers died. It often meant working many late hours, staying on the job until the wee hours of the morning on those days the paper "went to bed" (was published).

For many years, to make ends meet for their large family, both John Jr. and Lucile Stahle ran a family movie business, enlisting the help of their children to make it successful. They showed movies in schools and LDS ward houses, bringing the projector, movie reels and the rest to eager audiences. In those days, there were not the myriad entertaining diversions so readily available today.

He passed on a legacy of hard work and a love of the newspaper business to his children. According to son Larry, that love affair had to do with wanting more than anything to pass on what he'd learned to others. At times, that meant chasing every fire truck in Bountiful to learn the story that then could be shared. John Stahle, Jr. remembered his father's words, "Give them something they don't know."

Gail Stahle, meanwhile, said a newspaper such as the Clipper chronicles people's whole lives--their births, their graduations, their marriages and their deaths.

The Master Editor and Publisher of the Year honor was bestowed on John Stahle, Jr. in 1974. That is considered the Utah Press Association's most prestigious honor.

It is with great pride that we note this great milestone for a long-time fixture at the Davis County Clipper and the Davis County community. Even though he is gone, his legacy lives on in the lives of many, from his family that is still so involved in the newspaper business, to the many others he has influenced in the community, state and beyond.