The Patriot-News, Jan. 16

Longtime Patriot-News community service director dies
William Lunsford, longtime Patriot-News manager, dies

BY CHRIS A. COUROGEN
Of The Patriot-News

For some, retirement means an end to working. For William T. "Bill" Lunsford, it meant shifting gears.

Lunsford, a former director of The Patriot-News' community service department, died Jan. 13 at 84. Friends and associates who recalled his achievements said death was probably the only way Lunsford would ever have stopped working.

A former Army enlisted man and later an officer in the Air Force, Lunsford actually retired twice. The first time was in 1954, when he left the Air Force after having served in World War II and the Korean War.

Lunsford went to work for the newspaper as its promotion manager.

"He retired from the service, and the very next day, he began his job at the paper," said Sara Lunsford, his wife of 63 years.

As the promotion manager and later as the community service director, Lunsford was the catalyst for many Patriot-News programs that have become midstate institutions. The Patriot-News-sponsored spelling bee, science and engineering fair, and scholastic art, writing and photography awards were initiated under Lunsford's direction.

"Bill created a lot of great programs, some of which are with us today. Parents and grandparents in this area, when they hear Bill has died, will think of their years as students and remember him. He was very much the public persona of those projects," said Susan L. Anthony, who worked with Lunsford and succeeded him as the head of The Patriot-News' community service department.

Lunsford was also a pioneer in what is now known as the Newspapers in Education program. In addition to starting the program locally, Lunsford wrote two books and a number of filmstrips and audio cassette tapes on the program. He was the chairman of the Pennsylvania Newspaper Publishers' Association's NIE Committee for 20 years.

In 1978, Lunsford was recognized by the Capital Area Intermediate Unit for the "outstanding programs and activities provided to the schools and students" of its 24 member school districts.

Lunsford also was active in the Exchange Club, serving two terms as the president of the Harrisburg club and serving as the Pennsylvania District president. He also chaired the Inter-Service Club Council of Harrisburg, an organization composed of 13 area service organizations.

Lunsford was the founding president of the ESCAPE Center Inc., a child-abuse prevention agency that merged with Children's Playroom to form ParentWorks.

"Bill was a public servant. His greatest legacy was in public service," Anthony said.

Lunsford remained active in military affairs after he retired from the Air Force. For 35 years, he was a member of the Harrisburg Regional Chamber of Commerce's Military Liaison Committee. He twice served as the president of the Olmsted Chapter of the Air Force Association, and he was the state president of the association. Although he never served in the Navy, he was a member of the Harrisburg Council of the Navy League and served as its president.

In 2000, Lunsford was awarded the Army's Outstanding Civilian Service Medal. The following year, he received the Navy Distinguished Public Service Award, the highest honor the Navy bestows on civilians.

Lunsford retired from The Patriot-News in 1986 but remained active in many of the projects he started at the paper.

"Bill always loved the paper. He always came back for events. He always cared about the people here," said John Kirkpatrick, the editor and publisher of The Patriot-News.

Anthony added, "At 84, he was still the institutional archive for many of the projects he started. He could name every science fair champion since 1957 and describe his or her project in detail, all from memory."

After that second retirement, Lunsford launched a third career as an author, writing and publishing five books, including three novels about an Army Air Force pilot flying missions over North Africa during World War II.

"He never really quit working. When he retired the second time, that was when he started writing. He was working on another book, 'Do Not Go Lightly,' when he passed away. He really enjoyed doing what he did," Sara Lunsford said.

"He was a consummate writer. He never stopped writing. That was his craft," said Nick Goble, a past president of the Pennsylvania Public Relations Society, an organization that Lunsford also once served as president.

A graduate of William C. McBride High School in St. Louis and the staff officers course of the Armed Forces Information School, Lunsford earned a bachelor's degree from Elizabethtown College and a master's from Shippensburg University.

In addition to his wife, Lunsford is survived by two sons, William T. Lunsford III of Burlington, W.Va., and John T. Lunsford of Woodbine N.J.; five grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.

In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to ParentWorks, 331 Bridge St., New Cumberland or to the Capital Area Science and Engineering Fair, in care of The Patriot-News Community Service Department, 2220 Market St., Camp Hill.