Merritt C. Speidel Jr., Former 'Mercury News' Editor, Dies at 79

By: Sarah Weber

Merritt C. Speidel Jr., scion of Speidel Newspapers, died in November of 2005 at the age of 79. The former Mercury News reporter and editor was the son of Merritt C. Speidel Sr., the founder of Speidel Newspapers, a nationwide chain of newspapers owned by the Gannett Co. Inc.

Speidel Jr. was born in Iowa City, Iowa, and spent his youth in Palo Alto, Calif., where his father held his headquarters at Speidel Newspapers. He attended Culver Military Academy in Culver, Ind., and enlisted in the United States Army soon after his graduation in 1944. He served in Europe during World War II, and was seriously injured by shrapnel during battle. After convalescing for two months at a French hospital, Speidel Jr., returned home with The Purple Heart.

After earning a bachelor?s degree in economics and a master?s in communications at Stanford University, Speidel Jr., decided to follow in his father?s footsteps and become a journalist. He started out at the Salinas Californian, which was one of the family?s newspapers. From 1952 to 1966, Speidel Jr. worked at the Californian as a reporter and editor. Soon after his departure from the paper, Speidel Jr. went to work for the Mercury News, where he spent the rest of his career until his retirement in 1983.

Speidel Jr. was well known as a committed philanthropist who spent countless hours of his time volunteering at the VA?s Palo Alto Health Care System to aid America?s veterans, and at the Menlo Park Presbyterian Church, where he was a member of the congregation.

Speidel Jr. is survived by seven nieces and nephews, 17 great-nieces and nephews, and his former wife, Margaret Speidel of Palo Alto, among many others whose lives he touched.