He greets people with a smile, helped out anyone who walked in the office and was able to tell a story or two when asked.
Longtime newspaperman Wade Warren will leave the Snyder Daily News office one last time later this afternoon. Warren announced earlier this month that he would retire after working in the newspaper industry off and on since 1967.
After graduating from Odessa Permian High School and attending Texas Tech University, Warren began working with the Lamesa Press Reporter in 1967. Along with the Andrews County News, the Lamesa newspaper was one of the first to join Roberts Group Publishing, the parent company of the Snyder Daily News.
Venita Wade Loftin worked with Warren in Lamesa, and spoke about the relationship co-workers develop at small newspapers.
“We were just close friends during that period,” she said. “We’ve been friends for a long, long time.”
Warren later served as the publisher of the Littlefield and Brownfield newspapers, but left the industry for a short period of time.
“Even though being a publisher was OK, I enjoyed the advertising side more. I thought I would let someone else worry about paying the light bill,” he said.
He returned to a newspaper life when he joined the Snyder Daily News staff as the managing editor and later as the assistant publisher. One of the highlights of his career was working alongside his wife, Carolyn, who was an advertising representative for the Snyder Daily News until her retirement three years ago.
“That was pretty neat,” he said of the days working with his wife.
Wade and Carolyn were vital to the newspaper’s operation, said former publisher Roy McQueen.
“During my 35 years in Snyder, Wade and his wife Carolyn were anchors in our small, but loyal staff. Wade had a unique sense of humor that put everyone at ease. He was a father-figure and counselor for many of our young employees who passed through the SDN over the years,” McQueen said. “He was a master at soft-selling and could make most anyone want to advertise. A man of integrity, he loved to visit around town and used those contacts to develop solid news sources.”
Those visits set Warren apart, according to former Scurry County Commissioner Chloanne Lindsey.
“It is a sad day. Wade was always Johnny-on-the-spot,” Lindsey said. “When I was a commissioner, he would help me with my advertising. More importantly, he is a great friend and will continue to be a great friend, along with Carolyn.”
Warren has seen the good times and bad times of a newspaperman.
“Being in the newspaper business, you get to meet some unique people and go through some unique times,” he said. “From sitting on Waylon Jennings’ tour bus drinking a Lone Star beer to the sad times of covering a wreck.”
One memory Warren has his coverage of a fatal school bus accident in Littlefield. A bus was crossing railroad tracks and was hit an oncoming train. Seven students died in the accident.
Warren is proud that he called Snyder home and his four children, Leslie Hargrove, Shannon Easterwood, Jason Warren and Tyler Warren, all graduated from Snyder High School. Two of his grandchildren, Kaitlyn Hargrove Ward and Dylan Hargrove, also graduate from Snyder High School.
Snyder ISD board of trustees president Ralph Ramon said Warren is a person who has a vested interest in Snyder. Ramon was a teacher and coach at Snyder Junior High School when Warren’s sons were students.
“He has a passion for education and a passion for sports,” Ramon said. “He had a vested interest in what was going on. Through his writing, he would let the community know the good things happening and the bad things. He felt as a stakeholder in the district that the story needed to be put out there.”
Warren said Snyder is a community moving forward.
“Snyder has a lot of opportunity and the right people will be able to carry it forward,” Warren said.
He said he will miss walking into the newspaper office each morning, but will continue to read it daily, something he hopes the younger generation will do as well.
“Snyder and Scurry County are fortunate to have a newspaper published six days a week. That is a rare commodity in today’s world,” Warren said.
“Wade was a real asset for the newspaper, both out in the community and as a sounding board inside the office,” publisher Bill Crist said. “His insight inside and outside the building will be missed.”
That kind of relationship with Snyder was echoed by McQueen
“Most importantly, he was loyal to his profession, his community, his family and was a good friend. We hope he grows lots of tomatoes in retirement,” McQueen said.
Warren does have one wish for the community to undertake, improve the Deep Creek area.
“One thing I would like to see in the future is the Deep Creek area turn into a park-like area just like those in Burnet or Lampasas,” he said.