Former Columbia Daily Tribune publisher Hank Waters dies at 90

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Hank Waters, former editor and publisher of the Columbia Daily Tribune, has died at age 90, the newspaper reported Thursday.

Waters, whose given name was Henry J. Waters III, became editor and publisher of the Tribune in 1966. He was part of the newspaper's management until the Tribune was sold to GateHouse Media Inc. in 2016. His grandfather, Ed Watson, purchased the paper in 1905, the Tribune reported.

However, Waters continued to contribute editorials to the newspaper.

Waters was known for his editorials. The Tribune reported Waters, who signed his editorials, authored more than 18,000 in his career.

Waters was a member of the board of trustees for the State Historical Society of Missouri. U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt, who was also a board member, sent a statement to media about Waters' passing.

“He had a disproportional impact running a family newspaper that other editors paid attention to," Blunt said. "In my political efforts, Hank endorsed me at least two-thirds of the time, but was my friend 100% of the time.”