Earl Richert, Former Scripps Howard EIC, Dies at 90

By: E&P Staff Earl H. Richert, former editor-in-chief of Scripps Howard Newspapers, died Friday in Evansville, Ind., after a long illness. He was 90 years old.

Richert's six-decade career began after winning a contest to become a copyboy at Scripps Howard's Oklahoma City paper, the Oklahoma News, in 1936, reported the Scripps Howard News Service in an obituary by Dan K. Thomasson.

Throughout his career, Richert was dedicated to nurturing young writers' talents, Thomasson wrote. He supported his charges, dubbed "Earl's boys and girls," encouraging young reporters to take on management positions and aiding female reporters working toward a more egalitarian workplace.

In 1959, he became editor of the Scripps Howard Newspaper Alliance in Washington, D.C., after working there as a correspondent for the Cleveland Press.

Richert was named editor-in-chief of Scripps Howard Newspapers in 1969.. Previously, in 1962, he was appointed director of E.W. Scripps Co., the parent company of Scripps Howard. He retired on Dec. 31, 1979, but remained on the board until 1985. Richert was also a director of Scripps' former subsidiary, United Press International. He was inducted into the Oklahoma and Indiana journalism halls of fame.

Richert's wife and lifelong companion, college sweetheart Margaret Vincent, died in 2003. He is survived by two daughters, Bonnie Grafton and Carol Reininga, and three grandchildren.