Raymond "Randy" Preddy

Raymond Randall “Randy” Preddy, 71, of Waco, died at his home on Saturday, Dec. 17, 2011, after a sudden illness. Funeral Services are scheduled for 1:30 pm on Wednesday at First Presbyterian Church, with Rev. Jimmie Johnson and Rev. David Prentice-Hyers officiating.

Born in Texarkana, Ark., to the late Raymond Watson Preddy and Dorothy Long Preddy, Mr. Preddy grew up in Little Rock, Arkansas, but often visited Waco where his grandparents lived. He graduated from Little Rock Central High School in 1957, and worked as a cub reporter at the Arkansas Gazette before college. He attended Northwestern University, where he was a member of the Kappa Sigma Fraternity and a cheerleader. He earned bachelors and masters degrees from Northwestern’s Medill School of Journalism, then graduated from Officer Candidate School, earning his commission in the U.S. Navy.
He served for three years on active duty, first as a crew member aboard USS Kitty Hawk (CV 63) and later for the Commander in Chief Atlantic Fleet, serving as a Navy public affairs officer. He would go on to serve for 22 years in the Reserves, with his last billet as Commanding Officer of the Navy Office of Information Southwest, headquartered in Dallas. He retired at the rank of captain in 1985.

After completing active duty, he married the love of his life, Sarah Mitchell, and embarked on his journalism career, serving first at the Louisville Courier-Journal in Louisville, Ky., then moving on to the Dayton Daily News in Dayton, Ohio, a Cox Enterprises newspaper. He served in several roles for the Daily News, moving into management as metro editor, when he was chosen to become the publisher of the Waco Tribune-Herald, which had recently been purchased by Cox. Mr. Preddy served as publisher of the Tribune-Herald from 1978 to 1996, receiving the Pat Taggart Newspaper Leader of the Year award in 1994 from the Texas Daily Newspaper Association for the Tribune-Herald’s coverage of the Branch Davidians to include the Tribune-Herald’s series “The Sinful Messiah”, which was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Investigative Journalism in 1994.

After leaving the Tribune-Herald, Mr. Preddy turned his passion for journalism into teaching journalism, joining the faculty at Baylor University, teaching several different courses for more than a decade. He also continued his service to First Presbyterian Church, most recently serving as clerk of session and as a member of the Pastor Nominating Committee. He also served on numerous committees for Grace Presbytery, the governing body of 185 Presbyterian churches in north and northeast Texas, to include serving as Presbytery Moderator in 2005.

He loved Waco and also loved serving in numerous community organizations such as the Waco Rotary Club, Baylor/Waco Foundation, Greater Waco Chamber of Commerce, Waco Business League, and the Central Texas Literacy Coalition. It was in partnership with the Literacy Coalition that the Tribune-Herald started “A Storybook Christmas” in 1991, an ongoing effort to provide new books for needy children. Since its inception, “A Storybook Christmas” has placed more than 328,000 new books in the hands of children ages three to nine who do not have books of their own at home.

Mr. Preddy is survived by his wife of 46 years, Sarah Mitchell Preddy, children Lewis and Tiffany, daughter-in-law Rose Marie K. Preddy, son-in-law Jack Morton, and grandchildren Abraham, Sara, Stephen, and Henry. Survivors also include sister-in-law Virginia Frank Jones and her husband Egbert Jones, niece Dr. Elizabeth Frank, nephews Mitchell Frank and his wife Leslie, and their children James, Andrew, Grace, and Natalie, Roddy Frank and his wife Sarah, and the late Monroe Frank.

Memorials may be made to the following organizations:

First Presbyterian Church
1100 Austin Avenue
Waco, Texas 76701
www.firstpreswaco.org

Grace Presbytery
6100 Colwell Blvd
Suite 100
Irving, TX 75039-3148
www.gracepresbytery.org

“A Storybook Christmas”
P.O. Box 6088
Waco, TX 76706-6088
www.wacotrib.com/services/storybook_christmas.html

Northwestern University
Northwestern Annual Fund
2020 Ridge Avenue, 4th Floor
Evanston, IL 60208-4307
http://giving.northwestern.edu/memorial

The family invites you to leave memories and messages at Grace Gardens Funeral Home at http://www.gracegardensfh.com

Memorial Service

1:30 p.m. ,Wednesday, December 21, 2011
First Presbyterian Church
1100 Austin Avenue Waco, TX, United States 76701