James Howard "Jim" Parker (1924 - 2018)

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CHAPEL HILL — James Howard "Jim" Parker, 93, of Carolina Meadows, died Sunday morning, March 11, 2018 at UNC Hospital.

He was born on Sept. 2, 1924, in Tarboro, the son of the late James Howard and Rosa Fleming Parker. He was a graduate of Tarboro High School and a 1949 graduate of the University of North Carolina.

He served three years in the U.S. Army during World War II, including 18 months in Europe with the Ninth Infantry Division, where he was a squad leader and earned a Purple Heart.

Following military service, he enrolled at UNC and graduated from the school of Journalism in May, 1949. He went to work for the Chatham News in Siler City, remaining there until 1966. During that time, he served as news editor of The Chatham News and editor of its sister publication The Liberty News.

In July 1950, he married the former Hallie Stewart McLean of Lenoir. The couple lived in Siler City until 1966, when they moved to Clinton, where he became editor and publisher of The Sampsonian. In 1976 The Sampsonian merged with The Sampson Independent, of which he also served as editor and publisher. In 1978-79, he was elected President of the North Carolina Press Association, having previously been vice-president and a member of the board of directors. He also served a term as director of the Journalism Foundation of UNC and was chairman of both the Chatham County and Sampson County library boards.

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