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The Passing of a Revolutionary
Staley McBrayer, developer of Vanguard offset press and famous alumnus of A&M-Commerce, dead at 92

Staley McBrayer with journalism Professor Emeritus Jack Bell at the
dedication of the Staley McBrayer Printing Faciity.

By Otha Spencer, BS ’42, MS ’47
Today, throughout this nation, thousands of young people received their education through scholarships from Mr. and Mrs. Staley McBrayer, at Texas A&M University-Commerce, the University of Texas, Austin and Texas Christian University, Fort Worth.

And, today hundreds of students are earning their degrees through McBrayer scholarships from the same schools. Rarely has so much been given to so many for education.

It was my sad honor to have contributed to the Service of Thanksgiving for the life of Staley Thomas McBrayer, at St. Andrews Episcopal Church, in Fort Worth, on April 20, 2002. Through a service of music and memorials, Mr. McBrayer was remembered for his contributions to newspaper publishing and education.

Memorials were given by me, Dr. Otha Spencer, life-long friend and biographer; Dr. Keith McFarland, president of A&M-Commerce, Jenkins Garrett, Esq., partner and life-long friend and Jack B. Tinsley, retired editor of the Fort Worth Star Telegram.

Staley McBrayer had the most profound influence on newspaper publishing of any other person this last century. He and his research team developed a new newspaper press called Vanguard, pioneered in suburban journalism and perfected the idea of a central printing plant for small newspapers.
Editor & Publisher, the professional magazine for journalists, named Staley McBrayer as one of the 25 most influential publishers of the twentieth century.

The McBrayer-Vanguard story is a dramatic chapter in newspaper publishing, comparable to the development of movable type in 1450, by Johannes Gutenberg, to the invention of lithography by Alois Senfelder, in 1796, and the invention of the Linotype by Ottmar Mergenthaler in 1884.
In 1955, McBrayer adapted offset lithography to perfect the web offset newspaper press and revolutionized newspaper publishing.

We are proud that Mr. McBrayer has his roots in East Texas and began his career at the Commerce Journal.

He was born in Saltillo, in Hopkins County and came to East Texas State Teachers College in the early 1930s. As a student McBrayer worked on the East Texan, and was part-time circulation manager of the Commerce Journal.

After graduation in 1933, McBrayer went to the University of Texas to study journalism. He worked on the Austin American Statesman and the Daily Texan.

He returned to Commerce and became full-time business manager of the Commerce Journal.

In 1989, William Rinehart, vice-president and director of research for the American Newspaper Publishers Association, wrote,
“Staley, is you had not developed the Vanguard newspaper offset press, and enabled newspapers to use cold type, there absolutely would not be newspapers as we know them today. There would one or two high priced national newspapers only.”

To day, it is estimated that 98 percent of all newspapers of the world use the system developed by McBrayer and his research team in 1955. (The Commerce Journal changed to offset in 1966, after 77 years of being printed by letterpress.)

A&M-Commerce honored the McBrayers and recognized their many contributions, by publishing a book, Staley McBrayer and the Offset Newspaper Revolution. This was the first book published by the newly established East Texas Mayo Press.

We mourn the loss of Staley McBrayer and honor his many accomplishments.

To Mr. McBrayer, and to the many others like him who have given something extraordinary and in return received only a thank you note.

By Deborah Davies, BS ’92
managing editor
I never met him, talked to him, or even saw him in person. Yet his is one of the very, very few names I am able to produce at a moment’s notice, despite that I’m one of those people who has to sputter her way through all four of her kids’ names and sometimes even those of a few long-lost pets before I get to my husband’s.

Mrs. McBrayer’s name too has stayed with me. Part of the reason, perhaps, is because their names are so lyrical: Staley McBrayer, Beverly McBrayer. Wonderful names, aren’t they?

Still, I’m pretty sure that the real reason I remember so easily their particular pair of monikers is because long ago, during a few particularly dark days when I was thinking seriously about giving up on getting a college degree, the McBrayers came through for me.

My crisis? All four kids needed socks.

Meanwhile, my new classes would soon require me to go buy books. I was sitting quietly at my dining table, thinking about my kids and their faded, worn-through footwear and about how I might not go get those books after all.

And that’s when I heard the clank.

We live in one of those old homes with the mailbox on the porch, and so I heard the metal lid drop closed when the mail carrier made his delivery that morning. I was glad for the chance to get up, to do anything besides sit there and think about how much my schooling was really costing my family.
In the stack that day were, as expected, many bills. Among the many bills was the McBrayers’ gift.

I’ll admit I called my husband first, but then, as I’d been taught, I sat down to write my thank you’s to Mr. and Mrs. McBrayer. I remember penning their lovely names across the top of the page but nothing of what I said. The note was short, polite and, I’m sure, did little to truly tell that fine couple what their generosity meant to me.

It didn’t tell them that I’d be staying in school after all. The note didn’t say that I vowed to someday do as well by somebody else as they were doing by me that day.

It didn’t say that when the kids came home from school that afternoon, I showed them the scholarship and the five of us jumped up and down in our little living room together.

The McBrayers never knew my kids got socks that weekend.
The only reason for mentioning it now is to offer a simple reminder to you very special Alumni—and there are a great many of you—who have given to this University, sometimes perhaps wondering if it truly made any difference.
I think it’s very likely that, like the McBrayers, you’ll never know, no matter how many polite acknowledge-ments we send your way. Such niceties don’t usually involve socks, and when you’re the one needing such silly things, it all seems embarrassingly inexplicable anyway.

Still, however difficult to express, we owe you generous Alumni a giant, im-polite thanks. So lean in. In honor of that wonderful man, Mr. Staley McBrayer, today we’d like to sock it to you.

Jeral Jo Crowder

Mr. Jeral Jo Crowder, Training School alumnus and former member of the Board of Regents of A&M-Commerce, died May 19.

Mr. Crowder was born Jan. 10, 1924, in Cooper, Texas. He graduated from the Training School at ETSC in 1941, then attended Texas A&M University where he lettered in tennis. He received his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Houston.

He recently was inducted into the Texas A&M Hall of Fame.

From 1944 to 1949, he was district petroleum engineer with Gulf Oil Corp., there he went to work for Quintana Petroleum, where he retired as vice president in 1973 at the age of 49.

After leaving Quintana, he became a private petroleum consultant and in 1980 formed Express Resources. In 1982 he served as president of Commerce Petroleum Corp.

In 1979 Mr. Crowder was appointed to the East Texas State University Board of Regents by Gov. Bill Clements and was eventually elected chairman of the board.

He was a member of the Houston Club and the Petroleum Club, where he served on the board of directors.

He was preceded in death by his father, Irl Crowder; mother, Eva Jo Crowder Weir and his grandmother, Velma Holland.

Survivors include his wife of 59 years, Jean Foster Crowder; three daughters, Patty Henry and her husband, Melton, Sandy Eckles and her husband, Tom, and Tracy Gilbert and her husband, Mike, all of Houston; and one sister, Dr. Peggy Coghlan of Longview.

A memorial service was conducted May 22 at St. Luke United Methodist Church in Houston, where he was a longtime member.