Bernard Hanks: The Extraordinary
Newsman
 Marshall Bernard Hanks came to Abilene in 1892
from Dallas when his father, Dr. R.T. Hanks, took ove rthe pastorate
of First Baptist Church. In 1897 Anderson hired young Bernard
as a newspaper delivery boy. After high school and college, young
Hanks joined the newspaper in mid-1904. Anderson offered Hanks
opportunity to buy stock in the business as he could afford it.
Hanks and Anderson became a rare
team in business, in civic affairs, in journalism. They re-incorporated
the newspaper in 1906 with Hanks taking responsibility for management,
business and editorial operations; Anderson for printing and
production. The Reporter was at the time an afternoon
paper. A Sunday edition was established on Oct. 1, 1908. A semi-weekly
for rural readers appeared in 1910.
The Taylor County News came to the end of its distinguished
career in 1911. The Reporter purchased it and put its
name into retirement for a quarter century. The Reporter
grew in size and prestige, and so did the parallel business in
job printing and office supplies.
The operation became so vast
that on Jan. 1, 1923, Anderson and Hanks divided the firm into
two corporations, the Reporter Publishing Co., which produced
the newspaper, and Abilene Printing and Stationery Co., which
did job printing and sold office supplies. Each of the men had
interest in the other's operation. Hanks was publisher-president
of the publishing company, Anderson president of the printing
company.
Publisher Hanks reclaimed the
old newspaper Name, The News, when he added a morning
newspaper to the local scene on Sept. 1, 1926. The addition was
called The Abilene Morning News, the Afternoon paper,
The Abilene Reporter, The names were combined in May 1937
to become The Abilene Reporter-News, with morning, evening
and Sunday editions.
Hanks died Dec. 12, 1948. His
widow, the former Eva May Hollis, became president of the Reporter
Publishing Co. Howard McMahon, who had been the assistant publisher,
became the operating executive. George S. Anderson continued
as chairman of the board until his death in February 1964.
 Andrew
B. (Stormy) Shelton, who was married to Patty Hanks, succeeded
McMahon as Publisher of the newspaper in February 1964.
Shelton, who was reare in Harlingen,
came to Abilene in 1933 as a student at Hardin-Simmons University.
he went to work for the newspaper in 1935 while still a student.
After Mrs. Hanks' death in May
1967, her daughter, Mrs. Shelton, became chairman of the board.
The Sheltons followed the traditional involvement in civic and
cultural endeavors, always without any self-aggrandizement.
NEXT: The
Emergence of Harte-Hanks
(Abridged from Katharyn Duff's
April 19, 1981 "The Story of a Prairie Newspaper" You
can buy this book online from credit card-secured site shopARN.com.)
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