Henry Fried Meyer devoted a lifetime to journalism, education and public service, leaving a legacy that endured through the generations of Mississippi journalists he taught and mentored.
Born in Selma, Alabama, in 1912, Meyer graduated magna cum laude from the University of Alabama, where he studied journalism and English and later earned a master’s degree. He came to Starkville during the Great Depression to work in his family’s wholesale grocery business.
In 1946, Meyer and his brother, Morris, purchased the Starkville Publishing Company and became co-publishers of the Starkville News. Meyer served as editor of the weekly newspaper until its sale in 1960.
Under his leadership, the Starkville News earned more than 70 awards for public service and general excellence from state and national organizations. The newspaper became the only weekly in the United States to receive recognition for “exceptional service” from the National Safety Council.
Meyer’s contributions to Starkville extended well beyond the newspaper office. He served on the Starkville School Board, participated in numerous civic and community organizations and handled public relations for local initiatives. He also had a long association with Mississippi State University athletics, serving as a radio and public address announcer for football, basketball and baseball games and as a traveling public relations liaison and scorer for university athletic teams.
After leaving the newspaper business, Meyer began a second influential career as an educator. He joined the journalism faculty at Mississippi State University in the late 1960s and spent a decade in the classroom teaching the fundamentals of the profession to aspiring journalists.
His influence continued long after his formal retirement from teaching. For nearly three decades, Meyer served as adviser to The Reflector, Mississippi State’s student newspaper, remaining in that position until May 1999, only months before his death at age 87 in 2000.
Known as a demanding but devoted mentor, Meyer prepared his students for both the rewards and hardships of journalism. He warned them that the profession could be frustrating and would not make them rich, but taught them the fundamentals, challenged them to embrace life and impressed upon them the importance of doing their jobs the right way.
In recognition of his enduring contributions to journalism and journalism education, Meyer was inducted into the Mississippi Press Association Hall of Fame in 1991. In 2003, Mississippi State University further honored his legacy by naming its Student Media Center in his memory.
Through the newspapers he published, the communities he served and, most significantly, the generations of journalists he educated and encouraged, Henry Fried Meyer left an enduring mark on Mississippi journalism.
