History of Newspapers
Valley View’s First Paper Published Here in 1884.
Valley View was only 14 years old when she began supporting a newspaper. The first newspaper in Valley View was the Valley View Vindicator, with R. B. Edgell, a well known newspaper man at that time. Mr. Edgell started publishing his newspaper in 1884. The records are incomplete and it is not known how long this paper was here or where Mr. Edgell moved to.
R. G. Greaves was publisher of the next paper ever published in Valley View. “The Valley View News.” This paper made its debut May 6, 1904. Tom Murray was the first newsboy to call out the first issue of the Valley View News. Ward Collier, now a resident of Fort Worth, and a son of the late Rev. Collier (Presbyterian), was the typesetter of the News. Ward was 11 years old at that time.
H. O. Ward succeeded Greaves as editor and publisher of the News. Mr. Greaves sold to Ward and moved from here. Editor Ward was a lawyer and he only run the paper for a short time. The News went out of existence during Ward’s editorship. The office was located in the middle of the square.
A gentleman by the name of Morgan started the third newspaper “The Valley View Sun.” This paper was started in 1906 and its first issue was put on the street Friday, September 12. This paper has the record of being in existence longer than any other newspaper ever in Valley View. James K. Rudolph succeeded Morgan as owner and publisher and held this position until his death on June 29, 1918, when he succumbed to heart failure. He had an outstanding record as an editor serving longer as editor than any Valley View paper. The Sun office was located in the upper story of the building where Turner Bros. Grocery is located.
Other editors of the Sun through the years include: Mr. Broshur, Hugh Butler, Coy Williams (1921), E. J. Myers and W. G. Armstrong (1921), Charles Y. Craddock (1922), Sam Hall (1923), Tom Murray (1923).
It was this year that the Sun was turned over to H. B. Toon of Sanger as publisher and Miss Ava Lovelady was editor. This was in 1923-24.
A gentleman, whose name is not available, then moved here and started a paper called “The Valley View Voice,” Valley View’s fourth paper. He then sold to Ed Knight in the fall of 1925 and then it burned in the early part of 1926. The Voice plant was located just south of the L. O. Gregory Service Station. Miss Mabel Gregory was employed in this shop.
Valley View Beacon Started in 1930
A gentleman by the name of Abernathy was the originator of the Valley View Beacon, which began publication in May, 1930. (I found another source that says, April 10, 1930.) NLN Mr. Abernathy had his plant in the building just north of the Valley View National Bank, where Mr. Montgomery uses as a ware house at the present time. The type had to be set by hand and the only pictures used came stereotyped. Those employed in the shop were Misses Stella Turner and Mamie Leach and Fred Godwin. Mr. Abernathy ran the shop until August of the same year and failed to make a success of it and moved off and left the plant and Fred Godwin acted as publisher for a few weeks then turned the machinery back to the company that it was purchased from for what charges there were against it. The mailing list permit was then sold to H. B. Toon of Sanger, who has been owner and publisher of the paper ever since.
Mrs. Corrine Godwin was hired as editor and F. B. Huey as advertising manager. The paper was run under this plan for some time but later it was turned over to Miss Minnie Ora Pryor, who acted as both editor and advertising manager. Miss Pryor married during her employment with the paper, to Charlie McAteer and they moved to Gainesville and the paper was then turned over to Mrs. Dave Lowe. Mrs. Lowe acted as editor and advertising manager until January 1938, when she moved to Denton to attend college. Mr. Toon then hired Mrs. W. H. Vail to act as editor and she performed the above duties until November 1938. She resigned as her husband Rev. W. H. Vail was a Methodist preacher and was transferred to Holiday. Mr. Toon then hired Marse Anderson to act as editor and advertising manager and at the present time Anderson is still connected with the paper.
The members of the Beacon staff who are responsible for your paper every week have been interviewed with the following results:
(Picture of H. B. Toon)
H. B. Toon, native of Cooke County, publisher the Beacon, has practically lived in a print shop since he was a small boy, worked as an apprentice in an Oklahoma office, working at McKinney and Richardson. In 1918 he purchased the Sanger Courier and has been editor and publisher for the past 23 years. He is not only editor and publisher of the Sanger Courier, but is publisher of the Valley View Beacon, and the Denton County Baptist, a monthly publication, along with an enormous amount of job printing he has to do, as he has a modern job printing plant connected with the newspaper work. Mr. Toon is the father of three children, two daughters and a son, is a member of the Methodist church, where he is a choir director. He is also a member of the Lions club.
Mrs. H. B. Toon, wife of H. B. Toon, is assistant publisher of the Valley View Beacon and also is bookkeeper and linotype operator. She has had much experience in the newspaper business. She is a member of the Sanger Methodist church, and several clubs in her town. She spends her spare time reading, crocheting, and entertaining her two grandchildren.
(Picture of Marse Anderson)
Marse Anderson, editor of the Valley View Beacon is the oldest son of Mr. and Mrs. W. E. Anderson. He was born near Krum, Texas, on August 31, 1917. He is a graduate of the Sanger High School and member of the Valley View Methodist church. His other duties on the paper are advertising manager, subscription solicitor and also acts as reporter to The Gainesville Daily Register and Fort Worth Star Telegram. In more recent time he has been devoting some of his time in the Beacon print shop, familiarizing himself with the different fonts of type, working as an apprentice under Mr. Toon. His hobby is collecting paper weights as he finds that they come in very handy in a newspaper office. His ambition is to become editor of some large daily paper and he uses his spare time preparing to be an orator.
(Picture of Miss Gladys Idell)
Miss Gladys Idell, society editor of the Valley View Beacon, is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. L. M. Idell, and is a graduate of the Valley View High School, graduating in 1936 as Salutatorian of her class. Miss Idell was born at Fort Worth, Texas and in her early days her father was an employee on the railroad, which attributes much to her friendly disposition as she had the pleasure of meeting a large number of people. She spends much of her spare time sewing and reading. Her official duties on the Beacon is edit the society articles and collect personals for the personal column. She has had a great part in searching and writing many of the articles found in this edition. She is a member of the Ladies and Lassies Club and a member of the Baptist church.
(Picture of Lois Nell Dickeson)
Miss Lois Nell Dickeson, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. C. B. Dickeson, joined the Beacon Staff in August, 1940, as photographer. Many of the pictures appearing in this edition she is responsible for. Miss Dickeson is a junior in high school, and is a member of the Presbyterian Church. She holds positions on the school publications and from all indications she will be a journalist when she completes her education.
Others responsible for the news that appears in the Beacon are Miss Bertha Adcock, a student at N. T. S. T. C., Denton, who is the Beacon’s feature writer, and writes a letter to “Dear Diddle,” a feature appearing weekly in the Beacon. Miss Eula Faye Anderson is correspondent from the Lois community and is responsible for the Lois news. The Era News is written by Mrs. Mary Fears, correspondent from that community. Edwin Moss acts as reporter for the Valley View F. F. A. chapter and Sam Grundy Jr., is reporter for the Era F. F. A. Chapter.