By MARIA KACIK

Staff Writer

Stuart Borden, who died Saturday at 86, was an avid participant in Medina County government and other aspects of community life.

Between 1964 and 1988, Borden, a Medina resident, kept an eye on happenings in Medina County while serving as general manager of The Gazette.

Sports Editor Betty Szudlo, who started with The Gazette as a news reporter, said he was always on top of what was going on in the county.

“If he heard something from the community, he would call you in (to his office), question you and expect you to find the answers,” she said. “He loved being part of the community and he loved being part of the pulse behind the community. He was very hands-on.”

Medina At-large Councilman John Coyne III said Borden attended nearly all city council meetings.

“He was a permanent fixture at our council meetings. It wouldn’t be a council meeting without him. Sometimes he was the only person in the audience,” he said. “I think he just had an interest in local politics and he had an interest in what was going on in the community. He did not want to watch that on TV. He wanted to be there in person.”

Borden’s daughter, Judy Gleason, said her father was interested in what went on in Medina because he was proud of the home he had built within the community.

“Medina is just one of those places where you can get involved locally,” she said. “He and my mom said it was the best move they had ever made.”

Born in Mason County, Ky., in 1922, Borden began college in 1940 as an engineering major at the University of Arkansas. He was drafted into the Army before he graduated and served in Belgium and Germany during World War II.

His son, Jeff Borden, said when his father returned to civilian life, an Army friend from Cincinnati encouraged him to work as an advertising representative at the Cincinnati Enquirer. Thus, Borden began a career in the newspaper business that would take him to newspapers in Indianapolis, Lima and Medina.

Following his time at The Gazette, Borden worked as director of cooperative advertising for the Elyria Chronicle-Telegram, The Gazette’s sister newspaper. Borden retired in 1988.

“He was kind of from the old school. He was a serious newspaper guy, pretty good on the business side of it,” said Cooper Hudnutt, publisher of the Chronicle and former publisher of The Gazette. “I learned a lot from him. I was his assistant for a few years. He taught me how to set up a budget for a newspaper. I don’t want to say he was a penny-pincher, but he knew exactly what was being spent and how to control that.”

“He was straightforward,” recalled Norman Rockwell, a former Gazette advertising director. “If there were problems, he would attack those problems immediately. But if you were doing a good job, he would compliment you.”

Szudlo explained Borden is the reason she currently works in sports journalism. She said he asked her to cover sports because he wanted a woman’s perspective in the sports department.

“He was very ahead of his time. That wasn’t necessarily what was going on in other newsrooms around the country. I think he enjoyed doing it and being on the cutting edge,” she said.

For 38 years, Borden worked with the Kiwanis of Medina.

“He was always right up front and could be easily heard,” said Medina resident Charles Hawley, a member of Kiwanis.

“I can still hear him in the board of directors meetings. He really stood up for the principles of Kiwanis — morality, honesty — qualities of life that every human being should be a part of in serving a community properly.”

Hawley said Borden was most proud of his work with Kiwanis’ outreach toward children, especially the group’s annual Christmas shopping trip with local children.

Borden was named Kiwanian of the Year in 1997 and was inducted into the club’s hall of fame in 2004.

While Borden’s children say their father was always proud of giving back, he would think of his family as his greatest accomplishment.

Jeff Borden said his father and mother — Florence, who passed away in 2006 — were very much in love during the 59 years of their marriage.

“There was nothing he wouldn’t do for her,” he said. “I am sure that he would say he was proudest of his successful marriage and his family and the circle of friends that were drawn to him.”

Gleason said her dad was first and foremost a family man.

“There’s just so many memories that a daughter has of her dad: helping me ride my bike, kissing my boo-boos,” she recalled.

“Since my mother died, my dad and I had dinner together every single Thursday. And I’m not going to be able to do that anymore,” Gleason said. “I’m going to miss his wisdom. He was always the guy I could go to. He was our go-to guy.”

Kacik may be reached at 330-721-4049 or mkacik@ohio.net.