DUANE
Duane's take
Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about the Times Publishing Company of Wichita Falls. Now settle in, because this is a story about ink, ambition, and a family that kept the presses rolling through just about everything this part of Texas could throw at them. It starts the way a lot of good Texas stories start — with one man and a hunch.
Ed Howard, a pioneer area publisher, acquired a local newspaper in 1898. Just a paper. But Ed Howard had plans.
By 1907, that modest little publication had grown into a daily afternoon paper — the Weekly Times gone daily, the way a creek swells into a river if you give it enough rain and enough nerve. And 1907 turned out to be a busy year. Several leading Wichita Falls businessmen established the Times Publishing Company that same year, stepping in to provide the financial foundation the operation needed.
And if that weren't enough for one year, Ed Howard was also joined in the business by a newspaperman who'd come all the way down from Indiana — Ben D. Donnell, who took on the role of city editor. Now here's where the story gets interesting.
Under Howard and Donnell together, the paper didn't just print news. It became a force. A genuine leader in promoting Wichita Falls civic life and commerce.
The pages told the story of a city building itself in real time — the railroad spreading its reach, oil coming up out of the ground, the cattle industry stretching out across the region. Ed Howard himself wasn't content to stay behind a desk, either. He served as city postmaster from 1916 to 1924, and as a University of Texas regent on top of that.
When Howard died in 1948, his son Rhea stepped into the publisher's chair. And Rhea Howard was no placeholder. He rose to become a leader in the state Democratic party and served as an informal advisor to three presidents.
Three. The Times Publishing Company also became the publisher of the Wichita Falls Record News, a morning paper — giving this operation a presence on both ends of the day. Through all of it, year after year, members of the Howard and Donnell families provided the leadership that kept the whole enterprise moving.
Two families. One paper. A whole lot of Texas history fit to print.
What the marker says
Ed Howard, a pioneer area publisher, acquired a local newspaper in 1898. His "Weekly Times" became a daily afternoon paper in 1907, soon after several leading Wichita Falls businessmen established the Times Publishing Company to provide financial support for the operation. That same year Howard was joined in the business by Ben D. Donnell, a newspaperman from Indiana, who served first as city editor. Under their direction the paper became a leader in the promotion of Wichita Falls civic activities and commerce. News stories recorded the development of the city and the railroad, local oil discoveries, and the growth of the area cattle industry. Howard also served as city postmaster, 1916-1924, and as a University of Texas regent. Following his death in 1948, his son Rhea became the publisher. A leader in the state Democratic party, Rhea Howard served as an informal advisor to three presidents. The Times Publishing of the Wichita Falls "Record News", a morning paper. Throughout the years of operation, members of the Howard and Donnell families have provided leadership for the firm. (1980)