Marshall Day

Marshall Day, editor and publisher of the Gatesville Messenger, died early Tuesday following a brief battle with cancer.  Funeral arrangements are pending.

Marshall was the 2006 president of the Texas Press Association, following a nine-year term on the board of directors of TPA.  He was chairman of the first Grass Roots Legislative Committee of TPA.

He was a member of four of the states five regional press associations and was president of West Texas Press Association in 2001-2002.  He was a long-time director of North and East Texas Press Association and the South Texas Press Association. He was the recipient of the two highest honors awarded by NETPA — the Tom Mooney award an d the Sam Holloway Award.

Marshall was the fourth graduate of Andrews High School to serve as president of TPA.  He, Jerry Tidwell, Roy McQueen and Larry Tidwell learned the newspaper business from legendary Andrews Publisher James Roberts. All later became publishers of Roberts Group newspapers.

Marshall began his newspaper career as the sports editor of The Hereford Brand and later became news editor at Hereford.  He was publisher of the Seminole Sentinel for 12 years. He also served as publisher of the Edna Herald and the Ganado Tribune and while there combined the two newspapers into The Jackson County Herald-Tribune.

Five years later he re-joined the Roberts Publishing group as publisher of The Gatesville Messenger.  His wife Debbie was advertising manager of the Messenger.

In addition to his newspaper career, he served the communities where he was publisher. He was on Chamber of Commerce boards in Seminole and Gatesville, on civic club boards in Hereford and Edna and was a member of the Gatesville Planning and Zoning Commission.

Marshall and his wife Debbie are the parents of three sons.