Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, June 28, 1993 TAG: 9306280219
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE:
DATELINE: CHARLOTTESVILLE LENGTH: Medium
OBIT ROOKER, DANIEL J.
ROOKER, Daniel J., 74, of 2600 Barracks Road, #115, Charlottesville, died
Saturday, June 26, 1993, in Charlottesville. He was born, November 13, 1918,
in Grand Rapids, Mich., and was a graduate of Michigan State University, with
majors in history, political science, and journalism. He was a veteran of the
U.S. Navy, where he served from 1940 to 1945, and achieved the rank of
lieutenant commander. He served as Armed Guard Commander on Russian convoys in
the North Atlantic and served in submarines in the Pacific. His service awards
include, a Silver Star, Bronze Star, and Order of Fatherland War (Russian). He
began his nearly 40-year career in journalism in 1945, when he was National
Advertising Manager for the Miami, (Fla.) Daily News. From 1946 to 1951, he
was general manager of the South Haven (Mich.) Daily Tribune. Rooker was
editor of the Radford News Journal from 1951 to 1957. He was editor and
publisher of The Southwest Times in Pulaski from 1956 to 1971. In 1971, he
became publisher of the Charlottesville Daily Progress and vice president of
Worrell Newspapers, Inc. He came back to the New River Valley in 1976, and
formed his own company, New River Valley Newspapers, and purchased the
Southwest Times, Radford News Journal, Radford Messenger, and the Blacksburg
Sun from Worrell. He owned the newspapers until 1980, when he sold them back
to Worrell Newspapers. He retired in 1982. Rooker was past president of the
Radford City of Commerce, the Pulaski County Chamber of Commerce, New River
Valley Industrial Commission, and the Pulaski Golf Club. He was appointed, in
1967, by the Pulaski County Board of Supervisors, to serve as chairman of a
committee to seek location of a proposed community college, which became New
River Community College. Rooker was appointed by the board of supervisors to
serve on the original New River Community College Board of Directors. He
resigned the position upon moving to Charlottesville, but continued as a
member of the NRCC Foundation Board. In October 1988, he was guest of honor
for the dedication of NRCC's third academic building, Rooker Hall, named in
his honor. Rooker was a member of the Board of Directors of Randolph House of
Pulaski Home for Adults, the Rotary Club, the Elks Club, and the Thorn Spring
Golf Club. Mr. Rooker was a member of Christ Episcopal Church, Pulaski. Among
his activities in Charlottesville, were an appointment by the city council to
serve on the Central City Commission, which was charged with planning and
overseeing renovation of the city's central area; a member of the
Charlottesville-Albemarle Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors; and a member
of the YMCA Board of Directors. Surviving are his wife, Bethany L. Rooker,
Pulaski; daughter and son-in-law, Dee Rooker Lawton and Harry Lawton,
Kingsport, Tenn.; sons and daughters-in-law, D. Gregory and Fran Rooker,
Radford, Dennis S. and Ann Rooker, Charlottesville; grandchildren, Hal and
Jeff Lawton, Kingsport, Tenn., Jennifer, Stephanie, and Jason Rooker, Radford,
Elizabeth and Lauren Rooker, Charlottesville; sisters, Mrs. Melba Newcombe, El
Paso, Texas, Mrs. Jeanne Jenks, Lansing, Mich. A memorial service will be held
Tuesday at 11 a.m. from the Christ Episcopal Church, Pulaski, with the Rev.
Stephen Weston and the Very Rev. Harold H. Hallock Jr. of Charlottesville
officiating. The family will receive friends Monday at Stevens Funeral Home,
Pulaski from 7 to 9 p.m. In lieu of flowers the family wishes that memorials
be made to the Daniel J. Rooker Memorial Journalism Scholarship Fund at New
River Community College, P.O. Box Drawer 1127, Dublin, Va. 24084. Arrangements
by Stevens Funeral Home, Inc., Pulaski.
by CNB