Allen
Neuharth, better known as Al, was an American businessman, author, and
columnist to multiple publications and companies. However, one would have never
guessed that he would have ended up where he did, considering where he started
out. Neuharth was born in Eureka, South Dakota. He was a German descendent, and
lived with his parents Danile J. and Christina. Unfortunately, when Al was only
two years old his father passed away, and shortly after the Great Depression
occurred, which forced him to attempt to support his family at a young age.
Allen started by working on his grandfather’s farm and then shifted to
delivering newspapers for The Mississippi
Tribune. He then quit those two jobs and moved on to working in a meat
plantation.
After
Neuharth graduated from high school he began his journalism career, and worked
for his local newspaper The Alpena
Journal. At the age of nineteen he served in the armed forces during World
War II. Following the war he attended
college at the University of South Dakota, and edited the school’s newspaper
called The Volante.
After he
graduated college, he founded SoDak Sport,
a newspaper known for covering the sports scene of South Dakota, with a fellow
alumnus. However, SoDak went bankrupt,
and Neuharth lost the $50,000 he invested in it. Allen continued his aspiring
drive down to Florida, and worked at the Miami
Herald, eventually becoming a manager assistant. Al married twice. His
second wife, Dr. Rachel Forned, a chiropractor, and himself together had four
children, and Neuharth had two children from his previous marriage.
Neuharth
worked his way all around the country. In 1960 he worked for the Detroit Free Press, and then in 1966 he
bought the Gannett of Florida. He
continued his successes in Florida, and created Today in Cocoa, Florida. Cocoa eventually became his hometown. His
biggest accomplishment was founding USA
Today in 1966, which today is the third most widely read newspaper in the
country. He retired from the Gannett in
1989 at the age of sixty-five, yet still remained chairmen of the Freedom Forum
until his death. Neuharth passed away this year on April 19th in
Cocoa Beach, Florida.
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