William “Bill” Hornby, former editor of the Denver Post, died on November 18, 2014. A graduate of Stanford and the London School of Economics, Bill’s initial excursion into public affairs and professional journalism took him to Paris, where he worked for the U.S. government as part of the Marshall Plan, and to San Francisco, where he wrote for Stars and Stripes. In 1957, Bill arrived in Colorado and began work at the Denver Post, where he moved from copy reader to managing editor to executive editor to vice president. Until his retirement in the mid-1990s, Hornby wrote a regular op-ed column for the paper. As the president of the American Society of News Editors, he worked to put pressure on Congress during the 1974 fight for Freedom of Information Act legislation, leading the successful effort to override President Gerald Ford’s veto. Bill helped spur editorials and news stories in more than fifty newspapers throughout the country, many of which were posted in congressional committee rooms. In addition to his professional work, he was also a trustee of the Colorado Historical Foundation, and in 1981 and 1982 he served as the chairman of the board of History Colorado. His ongoing involvement was instrumental in promoting and securing funding for several important History Colorado projects, including construction in 2012 of the History Colorado Center.
Denver, CO
United States