Mr. Walter Tillman Pulliam

Walter Pulliam, retired newspaper editor and publisher, founder of the Tennessee Newspaper Hall of Fame, World War II correspondent for the Stars and Stripes, and longtime civic leader, died December 21, 2014. He was 101. Like so many of the “greatest generation”, Walter’s life was profoundly influenced by his war service. Enlisting after Pearl Harbor, he served initially as an infantryman in North Africa and was then recruited to the Mediterranean edition of the Stars and Stripes. Stationed first in Rome, where he was granted a private audience with Pope Pius XII, and later in Yugoslavia, where he met with Marshall Tito, Walter returned to post-war America anxious to make his name as a newspaperman. After stints first at the Knoxville News-Sentinel as a reporter and then at the Washington Post as an assistant city editor, Walter moved back to east Tennessee in the 1950s where he purchased the Harriman Record, a weekly newspaper that Walter later turned into a daily. The Record gained notoriety for being the only newspaper in Tennessee, and the smallest anywhere, to publish the entire Watergate transcript. Because of the timing of its press run, it was also the first in Tennessee to report President Nixon’s resignation. Walter purchased and published other papers in east Tennessee but he was, at heart,a newspaperman who liked to edit and report. In 1965, he served as president of the Tennessee Press Association during which time he lead in the establishment of the Tennessee Newspaper Hall of Fame at the University of Tennessee. In 1966, he was awarded the Tennessee Press Association’s Award for service to the newspaper industry. ********** Walter Tillman Pulliam was born in Knoxville on November 5, 1913, the son of James Richardson Pulliam and Jennie Blanche Badgett Pulliam. His newspaper career began early. While in junior high school, armed with a portable Corona typewriter from his father, Walter published his first newspaper—a 4 page neighborhood paper, circulation 20. After graduating in 1932 from Knoxville High School, where he was president of the student body, Walter entered the University of Tennessee. At UT, his nascent interest in journalism blossomed and he ultimately became the editor of the Orange and White, UT’s campus newspaper. In 1936, Walter received his degree from the University of Tennessee in English and History. On April 18, 1970, Walter married Julia Hill Brownlow of Columbia, Tennessee. She was the love of his life. They have one daughter, Mrs. Everette L. (Mary) Doffermyre, and three grandchildren, Julia Green (and Eli) of Atlanta, Will Doffermyre (and Bessie), of Washington, D.C., and Randolph Doffermyre (and Kathleen) of Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Walter is also survived by five great-grandchildren: William Headley Green and Mary Parrish Green, of Atlanta and William Liedtke Doffermyre, Perryman Pulliam Doffermyre, and Wynne Brownlow Doffermyre of Washington D.C. Walter and Julia spent their summers at the Monteagle Sunday School Assembly, a Chautauqua near Sewanee, Tennessee. He served as the President of the Assembly during its centennial summer of 1982. Walter treasured his time at Monteagle where he and Julia hosted their grandchildren and great grandchildren every summer over the past four decades. Walter’s grandchildren and great grandchildren’s fondest memories of Walter will always be those summers on the mountain, where they came to cherish his unique sense of humor, his rich historical perspective, his passion for lifelong learning, and his unconditional love for his family. In addition to Walter’s professional contributions in the field of journalism, his life was the embodiment of his belief in serving the public good. Among his many endeavors, Walter served as president of the East Tennessee Historical Society which later honored him as a “Pillar of Support”. For 25 years, Walter served as a member of the Tennessee State Historical Commission under appointments from four different governors. Walter also served as vice-president and long-time board member of the Knoxville Opera. Among his greatest passions was Rotary International. A Rotarian since 1949, Walter served in many leadership roles. He was a former director of the Rotary Club of Knoxville, was general chairman of the Knoxville Club’s 75th Anniversary and authored the Club’s 75th anniversary history, Seventy-Five Years and Serving. In 1972-1973, Walter was Rotary International District 6780 Governor and took special pride that his district conference that year in Gatlinburg was the largest ever attended, aided assuredly by the fact that the conference’s speaker was the renowned Rev. Norman Vincent Peale. Later, Walter was awarded Rotary International Foundation’s Citation of Merit. In Knoxville Walter was a devoted member of First Presbyterian Church where he served on various committees, chairing at one time the church’s long-range planning committee. He was a former elder and clerk of session. Walter was a member of the Cherokee Country Club where he lectured on current affairs for more than 15 years and authored its centennial history in 2007. He also authored the 720-page, coffee-table-size history of Harriman, Tennessee, The Town That Temperance Built, and The Fires of Monteagle. On the occasion of his hundredth birthday—November 5, 2013--the Knoxville News-Sentinel published a front-page story on Walter’s life and career. Visitation will be from 4 to 6 at Rose Mortuary-Mann Heritage Chapel 6200-Kingston Pike on Tuesday, December 23. A memorial service will be held at 11am on Wednesday, January 7, 2015 at the First Presbyterian Church of Knoxville at 620 State Street. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Monteagle Sunday School Assembly or to the First Presbyterian Church of Knoxville. Please visit Mr. Pulliam’s online guest book at www.rosemortuary.com

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Mr. Walter Tillman Pulliam

November 15, 1913 - December 21, 2014