FORMER NEWSPAPER EXECUTIVE, CAPE NATIVE LEE PORTER, DIES

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- Former Stauffer Communications executive Lee Porter, who was publisher of newspapers in Ardmore, Shawnee, and Topeka, Kan., died early today after a brief illness.

Porter, 62, had retired to Oklahoma City where he was publishing a weekly newspaper, the South Leader.

Porter is a native of Cape Girardeau, and a graduate of the University of Missouri.

He began his career with Stauffer as a reporter for the Topeka Capital-Journal.

He was named editor and publisher of the Shawnee News-Star in 1977 and was director of 10 other Stauffer papers. He became publisher of The Daily Ardmoreite in Ardmore in 1983 and returned as editor and publisher of the Topeka Capitol-Journal in 1986.

Before his retirement in 1992, Porter had been director of operations of 10 publications in Florida.

Porter, a retired lieutenant colonel, was inducted in 1993 into the Kansas National Guard Hall of Fame.

Services are scheduled Saturday in Topeka with burial in Memorial Park in Topeka.

Porter is survived by his son, David, daughter, Nancy, two grandchildren and three sisters.