The late Edward Francis “Chad” Chadwick (1934-2018) was born in Kenova and graduated from Ceredo-Kenova High School in 1952. He served in the Navy during the Korean War and was honorably discharged in 1956. He returned to Huntington and attended Marshall University, where he started a lifelong career in the newspaper industry.
He worked for the Huntington Publishing Company until 1964. He advanced to publisher, managing editor and part-owner of the Wayne County News from 1963-1988.
He also was the founder of the Tri-State Shoppers Guide. He was responsible for the printing of the Marshall student newspaper — The Parthenon — along with numerous small-town community newspapers throughout West Virginia.
He was a member of the West Virginia Press Association and served as president in 1982.
In 1985, he was recognized by the West Virginia Legislature for a Meritorious Achievement Accommodation. In 1999, he was awarded the Adam R. Kelly Award, which is the most prestigious journalism award given by the WVPA. In 2002, after 40 years of service to the West Virginia newspaper industry, the trustees named the WVPA headquarters building in Charleston “The Edward F. Chadwick Newspaper Center.”
He impacted student journalism careers at Marshall and college students throughout the state where he worked on establishing scholarships and internship programs. Through the ’60s and ’70s, especially after the Marshall plane crash, he was instrumental in the survival of The Parthenon and provided needed resources to the journalism department. He set up an entire media production shop just off campus, which enabled the students to keep the press rolling during this time.
As a supporter of local businesses, he was a founder of the Lavalette State Bank and served as secretary and board member. He was president of MCM Land Company, where he helped families in the community achieve their dream of home ownership. Chad and his wife Shirley had six children, who all attended Marshall University.
