Gene McDavid’s remarkable newspaper career began in the backshop of a small Mississippi weekly and carried him to the presidency of one of the nation’s largest metropolitan newspapers.
The son of Mississippi Press Association Hall of Fame member O.C. McDavid, Gene McDavid was immersed in journalism almost from birth. He began working at his father’s Perry County Herald in New Augusta at age five and was operating a Linotype machine by the time he was nine.
At just 19, McDavid became owner, editor and publisher of the Wilk-Amite Record in Gloster. Like generations of community newspaper publishers, he did nearly everything himself — reporting stories, taking photographs and setting type. Under his leadership, the Record earned numerous MPA awards and became an active voice in its community.
McDavid sold the newspaper in 1958 and moved his family to Houston, where he joined the Houston Chronicle as a Linotype operator. While working nights at the newspaper, he attended the University of Houston during the day, earning a business administration degree in 1965.
His talent, work ethic and mastery of newspaper production quickly became apparent. Promoted to assistant production manager in 1964, McDavid rose steadily through the Chronicle’s leadership ranks, becoming vice president of operations in 1974, vice president and general manager in 1984 and president in 1990.
McDavid helped guide the Chronicle through a period of extraordinary transformation. During his tenure, the newspaper converted from hot type to electronic production, changed from afternoon to morning publication and emerged as Houston’s sole surviving major daily newspaper. At its height, the massive operation McDavid helped oversee produced 550,000 newspapers each weekday and 750,000 copies on Sundays.
His influence extended far beyond Houston. McDavid served as president of the Southern Newspaper Publishers Association and Texas Daily Newspaper Association and held leadership positions with numerous other industry organizations. His commitment to service was equally impressive: He served as chairman or president of more than 50 civic and professional organizations and volunteered for decades with the American Red Cross.
McDavid never forgot his Mississippi newspaper roots. In memory of his father, he established the O.C. McDavid Memorial Fund within the Mississippi Press Association Education Foundation. The endowment created an annual conference bringing together Mississippi college journalism students and educators, a tradition that continues today as the O.C. McDavid Journalism Summit.
After four decades with the Chronicle, McDavid retired as president in 1998 but continued serving the newspaper as a consultant. He died in 2018 at age 88.
From setting type in a rural Mississippi newspaper office to leading one of America’s great metropolitan dailies, Gene McDavid embodied a lifelong devotion to journalism, community service and the enduring mission of newspapers.
