Weelington Leader in Texas sold

Henry Wells, Publisher of The Wellington Leader, announced this week the sale of the family-owned newspaper to Jeff and Angela Blackmon of Cameron. Blackmon will assume publishers duties on August 10. I am very pleased that Jeff and Angela have chosen to make Wellington their new home, Wells said. It’s exciting to anticipate the arrival of a publisher with Jeffs background in journalism, and I think that Jeff and Angela will be tremendous assets for the community. Wells was assisted in the sale of his publishing company by Rollie Hyde, Senior Associate of W. B. Grimes & Company. Blackmon has been in the newspaper industry since 1999, most recently as editor and publisher for three Waco area weekly newspapers papers – The Cameron Herald, The Rosebud News and The Thorndale Champion – owned by Granite Publications. I decided back in 2004 that I really wanted to take the right steps to soon own my own newspaper, and I was blessed enough to have had opportunities to work in several communities since then, to learn the ins and outs of the newspaper industry–especially on the business side, Blackmon said. My wife and I are extremely excited about the opportunity to purchase The Wellington Leader, and run it as a family. We look forward to continuing the best traditions of The Wellington Leader as well as putting into practice some new ideas and lessons learned in newspapers across Texas. Our goal will be publishing a quality newspaper for the subscribers of The Wellington Leader to enjoy, Blackmon said. Wells father, H. Deskins (Deck) Wells, entered the newspaper business in the 1920s with his cousin J. Claude Wells, publishing both The Wellington Leader and The Memphis Democrat. They later divided their interests and Deskins Wells published The Leader for half a century until his death in 1976, writing a widely quoted column, Decks Didactics. Virginia Robey served as news editor for 50 years. Henry Wells and his sister, Diane Wells McDowell, then published the newspaper for several For most of the past 25 years Henry Wells has been publisher. In the past two decades, many caring and talented members of the community have made enormous contributions to the newspaper as managing editors, news editors, business managers, reporters, writers, advertising salespeople, photographers, typesetters, graphic and page designers and subscription managers, Wells said. What they might have lacked in formal journalism training, they more than made up for with humor, energy and genuine concern for the welfare of the people of Collingsworth County. Although I hesitate to produce a list of names for fear of leaving out someone important, I want each of them to know I have admired their dedication and work under often difficult circumstances.