Welcome to the Village of Waterman, Illinois

From the Waterman Area Heritage Society

One of our very own, Clayton Kirkpatrick was born in Waterman in 1915.  He graduated form Waterman High School in 1933 along with the older brother of Bernice Kirkus of the Heritage Society.  His father and grandfather had a garage business that was located in the building that is now our Village Hall.  The following clips and photos were taken from an interview with Clayton in 1993.  The Heritage Society has a 15 minute video of this story (DVD and VHS).  Clayton passed away in 2004.

Ex-Chicago Tribune Editor Kirkpatrick Dies  -  The Associated Press

CHICAGO - Clayton Kirkpatrick, the former editor of the Chicago Tribune who was credited with overseeing vast changes in the paper in the 1970s, has died. He was 89.

Kirkpatrick, known as "Kirk," died Saturday (6-19-04) in his Glen Ellyn home of congestive heart failure, his family said.

As editor from 1969 to 1979, Kirkpatrick "imprinted the newspaper with what we think of as modern journalistic values," said Jack Fuller, president of Tribune Publishing Co.

Kirkpatrick's first lead editorial, on Jan. 1, 1969, signaled that the paper formerly known as the "Republican bible" would aim for more balanced coverage.  "No political party should take The Tribune for granted," he wrote.

Kirkpatrick angered his opponents on the Tribune Co. board in 1974 with a series of decisions related to the Watergate scandal, including an editorial that called for President Nixon's resignation.  "There was a lot of weeping and wailing" by the board when the editorial was published, Kirkpatrick said in 1999.

Kirkpatrick also oversaw changes in the paper's design, increasing the use of photos and graphics.  "Sometimes, I would do something just to jolt the readers, to show them the Tribune was alive and changing," Kirkpatrick said.

In its own obituary on Kirkpatrick, the paper said he "rescued the Chicago Tribune from its hidebound and potentially debilitating traditions to return it to its place as one of the nation's most influential newspapers."

Kirkpatrick grew up in Waterman, west of Chicago, and graduated from the University of Illinois in 1937. He joined the City News Bureau in 1938 and not long after joined the Tribune. He served in the Army during World War II, rising to master sergeant and receiving the Bronze Star.

After years as a reporter, Kirkpatrick began an apprenticeship in editing at the Tribune in 1954, working first on the copy desk. He was appointed city editor in 1961, assistant managing editor in 1963, managing editor in 1965 and executive editor in 1967.  In 1979, he was promoted to president and chief executive officer of the Chicago Tribune Co. He retired in 1981.

He married Thelma De Mott in 1943. She died in 1998. Kirkpatrick is survived by two sons, two daughters, five grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

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This page last updated 12-13-04