Eugene Smith Pulliam b. 7 September 1914 d. 20 January 1999

Full Tree
Descendants (Inventory)
⧼rd-people-with-family-name⧽

Lineage	Pulliam
Sex	Male
Full name (at birth)	Eugene Smith Pulliam
Parents ♂ Eugene Collins Pulliam [Pulliam] b. 3 May 1889 d. 23 June 1975 ♀ Myrta Smith [Smith] d. September 1917
Reference numbers	GEDCOM::tdowling.ged::INDI @I66481@::Hailey C. Shannon

Events

7 September 1914 birth: Atchison (Kansas)

occupation: Publisher, Indianapolis Star

military service: WWII, Lt. Commander, U.S. Navy

other: Pic

1935 graduation: Greencastle (Indiana), DePauw University

20 January 1999 death:

Notes

Eugene S. Pulliam was publisher of The Indianapolis Star and The Indianapolis News from 1975 until his death in 1999. Under his leadership, The Star won two Pulitzer Prizes - in 1975 for a series on police corruption and in 1991 for an investigation of Indianas medical malpractice system.

Eugene Smith Pulliam was born Sept. 7, 1914, in Atchison, Kansas, when his father, Eugene C. Pulliam, was just beginning his long career in the newspaper industry.

When the family moved to Indiana, Gene, as he would be known, began his own newspaper career while in grade school, delivering The Lebanon Reporter and The Indianapolis News. He later worked as an apprentice in The Reporters print shop.

Pulliam attended DePauw University and became president of DePauws chapter of Sigma Delta Chi, the Society of Professional Journalists. He also wrote a column for the student newspaper.

After graduation in 1935, he took a job with United Press. He worked for the wire service in Chicago, Detroit and Buffalo, N.Y., and then returned to Indianapolis to become news director of WIRE Radio, a station then owned by his father.

During World War II, Gene Pulliam served four years in the Navy and then with the Naval Reserve, retiring in 1948 with the rank of lieutenant commander.

He married Jane Bleecker in 1943. They had three children -- Myrta J., Russell B. and Deborah S., all of whom continued the family tradition in journalism.

After returning from World War II, Pulliam served in several positions with The Star including aviation editor, assistant city editor and city editor. In 1948, he became managing editor of The News.

In 1962 he was named assistant publisher of The Star and The News and became publisher in 1975 after his father's death. He held that position until his death at 84 on Jan. 20, 1999.

--- the Indianapolis Star