Six Generations of Journalists.
A FAMILY OF WRITERS.
Journalism in my family goes back almost 200 years and continues today.
- My father, George Lee Thurston III.
- My grandfather, Frederick Crandall “Freddy” Thurston.
- My great-grandfather, George Lee Thurston II.
- My great-great grandfathers, Francis Henry “Frank” Thurston and William Otto “Hopa” Mohrmann.
- My great-great-great grandfathers, David Sprague Crandall and John Gates Thurston.
My great-great-great
grandfather, David Sprague Crandall (1805-1884), owned and published The Niagara County Daily Courier and Weekly Courier in Niagara County, New York. David bought the
papers in 1843, but our family presumes he had journalism experience before that. My other great-great-great grandfather, John Gates Thurston, kept a journal of his travels, which was published by John Cumming in 1971, and titled A Journal of a Trip to Illinois in 1836.
While Crandall ran his papers, his son-in-law, Francis Henry “Frank” Thurston (1833-1916), my great-great
grandfather, worked at one of David Sprague Crandall’s
other papers, the Champaign Union, in Champaign, Illinois. Frank also published numerous magazine articles and other writings. My other great-great grandfather, William Otto “Hopa” Mohrmann, kept a journal of his life, starting sometime in his 40s. His journal included details about his time serving in the Union Army during the Civil War. My father had poked at editing Hopa’s journal, but in the fall of 2000, he picked up the pace. Dad wanted to publish the memoir before he died and he knew — based based on his rapidly failing health and his doctor’s prognosis — he didn’t have long to get it done. Dad and I worked hard on it between October 2000 and March 2001, and just a few weeks before my father died, Hopa: Memoirs of a German Immigrant to America, made it off the presses.
and his wife, Lenore Mary Mohrmann
Frank Thurston’s only child, George Lee Thurston II (1863-1907), my great
grandfather, was publisher and editor of Central Lake Torch in Antrim County, Michigan, and wrote for several other publications. As a child, George II handwrote a newspaper known as the Riverwood Press, whose readers were George’s immediate family members.
When George II died at age 44, his 17-year-old son, Frederick “Freddy” Crandall Thurston (1894-1936) took over as editor of the Torch. Freddy eventually moved to Ilion, New York, and then to Culpeper, Virginia, where he was editor and publisher of the Remington News and Culpeper Star. Freddy died from complications of
pneumonia when he was 42, leaving behind his wife, Bernice, and their two school-age children, George Lee Thurston III (1925-2001), 9, and Elizabeth Bernice, 6.
In the 1940s, George III started working as a copywriter and newsman for radio station WCVA in his hometown. He later worked at a
radio station in Harrisonburg, Virginia, where he met and married my mother, Maryjane (Blizzard) Thurston, in 1952. They moved to Coatesville, Pennsylvania, for a while, where Dad served a brief stint as news director for a radio station there. In 1955, my parents moved to Tallahassee, Florida, where he and my mother lived for the rest of their lives. (From 1955 to 1965, they had four children, my older sister Becky, two older
brothers, Bob and Lee, and then me.)
In Tallahassee, Dad’s extensive journalism career started at radio station WTAL, where he served as news director. After that, Dad started freelancing, mostly working as a television news reporter for CBS’ Miami affiliate WPLG and its Jacksonville affiliate WJXT. He served as WJXT’s capital bureau chief for about 18 years. Dad served as WFSU-FM’s news director before he began his print journalism career, writing for newspapers such as the Washington Post and New York Times, and our local newspaper, Tallahassee Democrat.
He also wrote for magazines, including Life and several niche magazines.
He wrote and edited several books on subjects ranging from fishing,
camping and canoeing to genealogy and amateur radio.
When Dad and I both worked at the Democrat, he was always willing to
mentor me when I began covering unfamiliar subjects, such as city or county commission meetings, elections, court trials and government budgets and taxes. At one point, for about six months, Dad and I, along with my brother Bob, worked at the Democrat.
I am excited to launch 6Gen Communications! My career in journalism and communications started in January 1984 and is still going strong!
Who Inspired You toward Your Career?
I’d love to hear your story. Send it to KarenThurstonChavez@gmail.com.
RESUME
My resume outlines specific skills, firsts, awards. It offers a
comprehensive look at how broad and extensive my experience is.
Get in touch
Find me on social media.
6Gen Communications 