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UTAH PRESS ASSOCIATION community was N. LaVerl Christensen. "Chris," as he was affectionately known, came to The Herald as city editor in 1939. He subsequently became managing editor, then editor, serving a total of nearly 50 years before and after his retirement in 1979. Christensen was a true gentleman and well respected in the community. Although long hours at the paper prevented him from participating in civic activities as much as he would have liked, he was instrumental in promoting special events in the county, was a member of the Provo Chamber of Commerce, taught classes in journalism at Brigham Young University, and encouraged patriotism through his editorials. Christensen won two George Washington Honor Medals from the Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. Typically carrying a thick pencil, Christensen was a hands-off editor who worked shoulder-to-shoulder with his staff. He strove to be fair. Once when he received a speeding ticket, his name appeared in the paper along with those of others who had been cited. Christensen wanted the news to be factual and timely, yet kind or "soft," as some described it. No one ever filed a libel suit against the paper during his tenure. When Christensen retired in 1979, Bennett "Ben" Hansen was named as managing editor. He came from the Scripps-owned Enterprise Courier in Oregon City, Oregon. Hansen changed The Herald from its colloquial style to a more modern design and journalistic approach. He was aggressive in covering controversial social and religious issues, and the comfort level so carefully nurtured by Christensen among readers and newsmakers was dismissed as archaic by Hansen. Having developed a reputation as a crusader, Hansen was hired by a larger newspaper in 1983. He was succeeded by Robert McDougall, a Brigham Young University graduate who was mentored by both Christensen and Hansen. McDougall, a native of Australia with a keen wit, attempted to temper The Herald's brash reputation under Hansen with a Christensen-like approach to dealing with the 146 |
