Chesterton Tribune
publisher Warren H. Canright, 88, died Wednesday, October 22, 2014, at the
VNA Hospice in Valparaiso.
He was born April
22, 1926, in Oak Park, Illinois, the son of Warren R. and Phyllis (Post)
Canright.
On September 11,
1949, in Kokomo, Indiana, he married Elizabeth (Betty) Bourne, who survives.
In addition to his
wife he is survived by children David (wife Margaret Willis) of Chesterton,
Thomas (Anne) of Evanston, Illinois, and Jane of Chesterton, grandchildren
Dexter, Abigail and Elizabeth, sisters Sally (Stan) Gorski, of Sedona,
Arizona, and Phyllis Keller, of Muncie, Indiana, brother John (Rosemary), of
Chesterton, and nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in
death by his parents and son Robert.
In 1928, when
Warren was two, his father bought the Chesterton Tribune and the
family moved to Chesterton.
Warren graduated
from Chesterton High School in 1944. At CHS he set the school record for the
100 yard dash, a mark that stood for nearly 40 years. He became the second
athlete from CHS to qualify for state competition.
For his athletic
accomplishments and in recognition of the Tribune’s decades-long
support of CHS boys and girls sports he was inducted into the Chesterton
High School Athletic Hall of Fame.
Immediately after
high school he served in the U.S. Army in World War II. He was a combat
infantryman in 290th Regiment, 75th Division. He participated in the
crossing of the Rhine and the encirclement of the Ruhr Pocket, earning a
Bronze Star. He finished military service as a Staff Sergeant.
Following his
discharge in 1946 he enrolled in Indiana University, Bloomington, graduating
in three years with the Class of 1949. He earned a degree in journalism and
political science and was awarded Phi Beta Kappa honors.
While a teen Warren
began working at the Tribune part-time in the letterpress days of
linotypes and hot lead.
Returning to
Chesterton after military service and college he began a 65 year career as
reporter, printer, editor and publisher.
In 1961 Warren and
his father converted the Tribune from a weekly to today’s
five-day-a-week daily newspaper. In 1970 he led the conversion of the paper
from letterpress to offset printing. In 1978 he installed the first
networked computer typesetting system in Northwest Indiana.
As Tribune
Editor, he was a life long supporter of public schools including giving
editorial support to school building projects, funding initiatives,
extra-curricular programs and sports.
He was a proponent
of Duneland as a united community, helping to publicize numerous service
organizations, youth sports leagues and church groups.
Warren was a
life-long member of the Chesterton United Methodist Church. He served with
the United Methodist Men and did regular duty as breakfast cook, usher and
volunteer.
His community
service included terms on the Chesterton Park Board, the Chesterton Board of
Zoning Appeals and the Porter Memorial Hospital Board.
During his 32 years
on the hospital board the Chesterton and Portage medical centers were
constructed and expanded. The hospital created the intensive care unit,
neo-natal intensive care unit, and its first advanced cardiac unit.
For his government
service he was named a Sagamore of the Wabash in 1995.
In the 1950s he was
an active member of the Junior Chamber of Commerce. When he hit that group’s
maximum age he helped organize the Chesterton-Porter Rotary Club, which he
attended faithfully every week.
He participated in
the Boy Scouts of America, first as an Eagle Scout in Troop [9]29 and later
as an adult volunteer for Troop [90]8. He also served on the BSA’s
Potowattomie Council board.
Warren loved walks
in the dunes and was a long-time volunteer at the Indiana Dunes National
Lakeshore. He was an avid gardener and often could be seen working in the
garden at the Chellberg Farm or volunteering at Maple Sugar time.
White-Love Funeral
Home is in charge of arrangements.
A memorial service
will be held at a later date.