The Hennessey Clipper observed its 130th anniversary this year, and apparently it’s the last anniversary as a weekly newspaper.

In an email to Hennessey Town Hall on Friday, Paul Laubach, owner of The Clipper’s current parent company Trail Miller, announced the newspaper is transitioning to “a bi-monthly publication that will focus on government, public policy, judicial issues, and economic issues that affect western Oklahoma and will cover a multi-county region . . . versus just Hennessey.”

Predates Statehood

It was June 13, 1890, when The Clipper hit the streets of Hennessey for the first time.

The weekly publication is one of the oldest newspapers in the state continuously published under the same name, having begun only 14 months after the homesteading land run which opened up the unassigned lands.

The Clipper is the sole survivor of seven newspapers published in Hennessey during the late 1890s and early 1900s.

Other local papers were: The Kicker, The Pilot, The Eagle, The Democrat, The Press and The Press-Democrat.

J.B. Campbell founded The Clipper at the southeast corner of Main and Oklahoma streets. The newspaper office is now at 117 S. Main.

Throughout the years, The Clipper has had a number of owners but has been published by members of the same family since Mabel Walker purchased it from G.E. and John Sprague in 1904.

Miss Walker served as publisher until it was combined with Frank G. Tierney’s Press-Democrat in 1914, and they became co-publishers.

Miss Walker’s nephew, Arthur L. Walter, became associated with The Clipper at an early age and brought his wife and son to Hennessey to stay in 1936.

Art Walter continued to work for The Clipper until he purchased Tierney’s half interest in 1953, and became co-publisher with Miss Walker.

Due to ill health, Miss Walker ceased active participation in the operation in 1956.

Art Walter and his wife, Jean, operated the newspaper, campaigning for a number of improvements and benefits for the town through its editorial columns.

In July,1977, Art Walter died of a stroke, and his wife took over the management of the business until ill health forced her to retire in December of the same year.

Enter Bill and Barb

Upon her retirement, Bill Walter, their son, became publisher. Jean Walter died in September, 1980, leaving her son as sole owner of The Clipper.

In June, 1978, Bill Walter named his wife, Barb, as managing editor. He joined the staff on a full-time basis in 1981 as advertising manager, as well as co-publisher.

The husband and wife team continued as co-publishers for more than 35 years, racking up a number of honors and awards.

Only two years after they assumed ownership of the paper, they were honored by the State Election Board for having the best voter information of any other weekly newspaper in the state.

They continued to publish their voter guides for every election, which included biographies on every candidate and candidate responses to questions related to the office they were seeking.

In addition to winning the sweepstakes award for top newspaper in their division multiple times in the Oklahoma Press Association’s Better Newspaper Contest, the Walters were inducted together into the state Journalism Hall of Fame.

Among key staff members over the years, Barb named Linda Craun, Jessica Cornish, Kenny Williams, Scott Campbell, Marjorie Anderson, Penny Burroughs Pospisil, Linda Pribil, Marilyn Craun, Diane LaPorte, Ruth Cavin Kelly, Wilson Pouter, Victoria Park, Mary Ann Hickey, Sherri Launch, Marissa Stribel Choate, Dustin Woods “and many others whose names I can’t remember.”

“Also, one of the best Tuesday night proofreaders was (the late) Sen. Butch Choate,” she added. “And, we couldn’t have gotten our pre-Pat Hennessey Celebration issue in the mail in 1980 without the help of FNB President Bob Riddle and then-Mayor Eddie Pryor.

“They helped mail out our more than 5,000 papers.”

Paper Changes Hands

The Walters sold the newspaper to Paul and Maria Laubach of Okeene on Dec. 31, 2014, with Barb remaining as managing editor.

Bill Walter died in May 2017 and Barb remained on staff until March 2018, when she resigned to work for The Kingfisher Times & Free Press as a columnist and reporter.