Donald W. Reynolds | |
---|---|
Born |
Donald Worthington Reynolds September 23, 1906 Fort Worth, Texas, U.S. |
Died | April 2, 1993 Mediterranean Sea |
(aged 86)
Alma mater | University of Missouri |
Occupation | Businessman and philanthropist |
Donald Worthington Reynolds (September 23, 1906 – April 2, 1993) was an American businessman and philanthropist. During his lifetime, he was known for his involvement in the Donrey Media Group.
Reynolds was the son of Gaines W. Reynolds, a wholesale grocery salesman, and his wife, Anna Louise. He grew up in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma and got his first job in the newspaper business selling papers at the local railroad station.
In high school, Reynolds decided he wanted to attend the University of Missouri's Missouri School of Journalism, and he worked during high school and successive summers at a meat packing plant to pay for his studies. While at the University of Missouri, he was initiated into Pi Kappa Alpha. He graduated in 1927.
Reynolds' first business venture was a photo engraving plant. He then purchased and sold the Quincy Evening News in Massachusetts, using the proceeds from that sale to buy the Okmulgee Daily Times in Oklahoma and the Southwest Times Record in Arkansas. Those two papers launched the Donrey Media Group. Operating mostly in small towns, the group grew to include more than 100 businesses, including newspapers, radio stations, television stations, cable television operations, and billboard companies. Perhaps his biggest success came with the ownership of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the largest newspaper in Nevada.
Reynolds interrupted his newspaper career to serve in the military during World War II, initially in military intelligence and, later, as the officer in charge of the Pacific and London editions of the "soldiers' newspaper, Yank, the Army Weekly. He attained the rank of Major, received the Legion of Merit, Purple Heart and Bronze Star Medal during his military service, and returned to civilian status in 1945.