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1972-73 Don Coppedge Waxahachie Daily Light

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Don Coppedge, 95th president, died Nov. 8, 2004, at his Waxahachie home following a long illness. He was 73. (full obituary)

Coppedge was publisher and general manager of the Waxahachie Daily Light.

He was born in North Hollywood, Calif., but moved to Oklahoma. He attended Oklahoma State University at Stillwater on a tennis scholarship 1950-51 but was interrupted by the Korean War.

While in Japan, he played ping pong and badminton for the U.S. Army, and worked on a newspaper in Hokkaido, Japan.

He graduated from North Texas State University in 1956 with a bachelor of arts in journalism. While there he was a reporter for the Denton Record Chronicle.

Upon graduation, he became a reporter for the San Angelo Standard-Times, but by 1958 had worked up to state editor.

He moved to the Brownwood Bulletin as editor. In 1962 he traveled six months as press aide to John Connally during his first race for governor.

He became publisher of the Waxahachie Light in 1962 and was part owner of the Stephenville Daily Empire and vice president of CRACO Inc., a newspaper management company.

He was president of North & East Texas Press Association in 1969-70.