OSAWATOMIE — Long-time Osawatomie publisher Web Hawkins has died at the age of 90 at the Life Care Center of Osawatomie. He began his newspaper career as a high school sophomore as a printer’s devil and worked his way through school operating a Linotype for the Columbia, Mo., Daily Tribune. The day after graduating from the University of Missouri, Hawkins went to work at the Russell County News in central Kansas. In 1959, Hawkins took over management of the Osawatomie Graphic and two years later, Hawkins and his wife Gladys bought the newspaper. They later owned the Linn County News, the Louisburg Herald and Emporia Times; and partly owned the Hillsboro Star-Journal. Hawkins served as president of the Kansas Press Association in 1970; and as president of the National Newspaper Association in 1988. At the time of his death, he was on the board of the Kansas Newspaper Foundation and was an honorary chairman of the foundation’s Cornerstone Campaign.
Monday, April 11, 4:30 p.m.
