Bob Douglas Dies at Age 77

Robert R. “Bob” Douglas died April 7 at Fayetteville’s City Hospital after a series of strokes, the first of which occurred last year.

Douglas served as managing editor of the Arkansas Gazette from 1972 to 1981, replacing the legendary J.N. Heiskell, who held that title for the better part of a century. Douglas began his career at the Gazette as a reporter in 1948. The Gazette was a well-respected, Pulitzer Prize-winning newspaper and a source of pride to most people in Arkansas, largely because of those two men.

Douglas left the Gazette in 1981 and moved to Fayetteville to be chairman of the University of Arkansas’ journalism department. He retired from the UA in 1991. The Gazette ceased publication that same year, and its assets were purchased by Walter Hussman, who renamed his newspaper the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.

At Douglas’ funeral on April 11, eight of his friends spoke to the group at Moore’s Funeral Chapel in Fayetteville.

They talked of tennis and golf, Republicans and reporters. Someone mentioned Douglas’ service in the Navy during World War II, where he was in battle for more than 80 days on two separate occasions.

The overall message was that Arkansas had lost a part of its history with the departure of Douglas.