Editor and publisher, community activist.
Born at Brandon in 1926, son of Ernest Christie Whitehead and Elizabeth Grace Davidson (1897-1993), he attended Brandon College then joined the editorial staff of the Brandon Sun newspaper. He was the last of three generations of his family to operate the newspaper, selling it in 1987 due to ill health following a stabbing on the street in April 1985, and retiring to Arizona.
During his residence in Brandon, he served with the YMCA (National Vice-President), Canadian Press, Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, Royal Winnipeg Ballet, Manitoba Theatre Centre, Brandon Allied Arts Centre, Brandon Chamber of Commerce (President), Canadian Daily Newspaper Publishers Association (President), Brandon Kinsmen, Brandon United Appeal, Brandon University, St. Matthew’s Anglican Church, and Manitoba Centennial Corporation. In recognition of his community service, he was inducated into the Order of Canada (1986) and he received an honorary doctorate from Brandon University (1990).
He died unmarried at Suffolk County, New York on 3 August 1996 and was buried in the Brandon Cemetery.
See also:
My Name is Not Harry: A Memoir by Haroon Siddiqui, Dundurn Press, 2023.
“Aiding wounded man was his duty, city student says,” Brandon Sun, 12 April 1985, page 2.
“Lewis Whitehead dead at age 69,” Brandon Sun, 4 August 1996, page 27.
“Former Sun publisher will be missed,” Brandon Sun, 6 August 1996, page 1.
“Former Sun publisher served Brandon well,” Brandon Sun, 20 August 1996, page 40.
This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 30 September 2023
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