Journalist Brenda Blagg dies at 75

Brenda Blagg, beloved Arkansas journalist, has died. She was 75. Blagg was @uarkjournalism alum and @UAtrav editor, and a extremely embellished newspaper reporter-columnist. Her column appeared Wednesdays @nwademgaz pic.twitter.com/n2ajd8Crhc

— Larry Foley (@documentaryprof) December 15, 2022

UA professor Larry Foley’s Twitter tribute is one among many circulating after the dying Wednesday of the veteran newswoman, who’d been dealing with a coronary heart situation.

I’d add that she was one of many nicest folks I’ve recognized.

Among the many notes handed on to me was one by a former colleague, David Edmark, retired from UA. It described her ultimate days, together with one final lunch Wednesday with previous pals, earlier than she collapsed and couldn’t be revived throughout a scheduled medical appointment with a coronary heart physician.

Brenda was recognized and beloved by folks all through this neighborhood and past. As a College of Arkansas journalism pupil she was editor of the Arkansas Traveler when its places of work in Hill Corridor caught on hearth in 1969; she managed to get the following day’s paper out anyway, a narrative that has been usually instructed and can now be the duty of Skip Rutherford to narrate to those that don’t know. In 1971 she joined the employees of The Springdale Information and stayed on board there as a reporter-columnist by means of its numerous incarnations as The Morning Information and later the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, the place her column was printed every Wednesday till late October.

The evening following the Gridiron present when she handed out in entrance of her home it fell to me to inform the pinnacle EMT who their affected person was and the rest I knew. I instructed him her identify is Brenda Blagg. “Brenda Blagg? The journalist,” he stated. So her identify was undoubtedly well-known.

She was additionally recognized in some circles by her alter ego, Letitia Mae Stufflebeam, the Northwest Arkansas Gridiron character recognized to of us again dwelling as Aunt Titty. The character was born one chilly evening within the Nineteen Eighties throughout a bunch writing session when not a lot was getting carried out. Brenda wished to put in writing a job for a personality who would touch upon present occasions whereas referring to the widespread people. Whereas sitting on the ground with a transportable typewriter, Brenda began writing no matter got here to her thoughts whereas the remainder of us watched. It was clear Aunt Titty wouldn’t be deterred, not for a very long time to come back.

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