LAKE LURE, N.C. - A former owner of the Monroe Times died Saturday at Hospice House in Forest Center.
Larry E. Lund, 72, died after a long illness, family friend Marilynn Tykal told the Times on Monday.
Lund took over the paper, then called the Monroe Evening Times, in 1975, following the death of his father Arnold Lund, who purchased the paper in 1964. Lund owned the paper until 1988, when Bliss Communications bought it.
Jim Bruce knew Lund for many years and served as general manager and editor when Lund owned the paper. Bruce said Lund had a passion for the newspaper business and he placed a strong emphasis on local news.
Bruce said Lund wanted to keep the paper on the cutting edge of technology and his efforts helped the paper win the "General Excellence" award from the Wisconsin Newspaper Association in 1987. It was also under Lund's leadership that the paper moved from its downtown building to its present location in 1978.
Most of all, Bruce said, Lund cared for the people who worked at the paper. When Bruce and Lund visited, they would talk about the good times they had in Monroe and about the people, Bruce said.
Jim Field worked for Lund for a few years. Field said Lund was easy to work for.
"He made the Times feel like a family," Field said. "In the 1970s we took on printing flyers for K-Mart. We put in long hours but we had a great time doing it."
Even after Lund retired, he still held former employees in high regard.
"He was a person who if he saw you on the street he'd stop and talk to you," Field said.
Lund is survived by his wife, Carolyn, a son, Brian, and a daughter, Margo. Tykal said he is also survived by a niece, Miranda, who he and his wife raised as their own child.
Lund's funeral is 11 a.m., Aug. 25, at Fairfield Mountains Chapel.
Larry E. Lund, 72, died after a long illness, family friend Marilynn Tykal told the Times on Monday.
Lund took over the paper, then called the Monroe Evening Times, in 1975, following the death of his father Arnold Lund, who purchased the paper in 1964. Lund owned the paper until 1988, when Bliss Communications bought it.
Jim Bruce knew Lund for many years and served as general manager and editor when Lund owned the paper. Bruce said Lund had a passion for the newspaper business and he placed a strong emphasis on local news.
Bruce said Lund wanted to keep the paper on the cutting edge of technology and his efforts helped the paper win the "General Excellence" award from the Wisconsin Newspaper Association in 1987. It was also under Lund's leadership that the paper moved from its downtown building to its present location in 1978.
Most of all, Bruce said, Lund cared for the people who worked at the paper. When Bruce and Lund visited, they would talk about the good times they had in Monroe and about the people, Bruce said.
Jim Field worked for Lund for a few years. Field said Lund was easy to work for.
"He made the Times feel like a family," Field said. "In the 1970s we took on printing flyers for K-Mart. We put in long hours but we had a great time doing it."
Even after Lund retired, he still held former employees in high regard.
"He was a person who if he saw you on the street he'd stop and talk to you," Field said.
Lund is survived by his wife, Carolyn, a son, Brian, and a daughter, Margo. Tykal said he is also survived by a niece, Miranda, who he and his wife raised as their own child.
Lund's funeral is 11 a.m., Aug. 25, at Fairfield Mountains Chapel.