Other Events and Attributes:

• Census: 15 Apr 1910, Oakland Ward 7, Alameda, California; : 6y; Address:
  3218 School St.
• Occupation: 15 Apr 1910, Oakland Ward 7, Alameda, California; None
• Census: 1 Jan 1920, South San Francisco, San Mateo, California; : 15y
• Census: 1 Apr 1940, South San Francisco, San Mateo, California; : 36y; Address:
  210 Eucolyptus
• Occupation: 1 Apr 1940, South San Francisco, San Mateo, California; City Editor

Notes:

Occupation:
Industry: Newspaper
Class of worker: Wage or salary worker in private work

Died:
Published in SF Chronicle Tuesday, September 23, 1997

Raymond Spangler of Redwood City, a force in Peninsula journalism for eight decades and a former president of the Society of Professional Journalists, died Sunday at the age of 93.

Born Jan. 23, 1904, in Oakland, Mr. Spangler died in a local hospital after breaking a hip in a fall this month.

Mr. Spangler began his career at South San Francisco High, where he passed out a newspaper he wrote by hand on butcher paper. He enrolled at Stanford University in 1920 and became editor of the Stanford Daily.

During prohibition, he worked for the South San Francisco Enterprise and the South San Francisco Journal, writing stories supporting municipal reform at a time when bootleggers corrupted local politics.

In 1937, he joined the Redwood City Tribune as courthouse reporter and began writing a column, titled "Under the Courthouse Dome." He wrote some 7,000 columns over 32 years, offering background and opinions on such issues as the explosive growth during the post-World War II years.

Mr. Spangler served in the Army on the eve of World War II, helping to build Fort McQuaid near Monterey. During the war, he served in the U.S. Coast Guard Temporary Reserve.

He became editor and publisher of the Tribune in 1945. He relinquished his job as editor and remained publisher until 1968.

Mr. Spangler served on the board of directors of the Associated Press from 1951-61 and was national president of Sigma Delta Chi, now known as the Society of Professional Journalists, in 1966. He led the fight to admit women to its membership.

Throughout his career, he fought for open trials, access to public records and preservation of the First Amendment. After he retired in 1969, he was chairman of the California Freedom of Information Committee.

While retired, Mr. Spangler taught at local colleges and wrote about San Mateo County politics for three weekly newspapers until 1992.

Mr. Spangler and his wife, Nita, also fought to preserve lands around the Peninsula from development. The former Nita Reifschneider worked at the Tribune as a police reporter before the two married in 1946. The couple were to have celebrated their 51st anniversary yesterday.

In addition to his wife, Mr. Spangler is survived by his sons, Jon of Palo Alto and Thor of Albuquerque, N.M.; a daughter, Mary Spangler of Redwood City; his sisters, Edna Harks of South San Francisco and Althea Evarts of San Bruno; and five grandchildren.

Memorial services will be at 2 p.m. September 30 at St. Peter's Episcopal Church in Redwood City.

The family suggests donations to St. Peter's, 178 Clinton St., Redwood City 94061 or to the San Mateo County Historical Society, 1700 W. Hillsdale Blvd., San Mateo 94402 for a fund to convert the old courthouse in Redwood City to a museum.

Raymond married Reifschneider, N. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]