Erwin Funk

Dozens of newspapers have served the citizens of Rogers. Some, like Rogers first newspaper, The Champion, lasted only a short time, while others proved to be long-term successes whose editors were influential members of the community. But undoubtedly the best-known newspaperman in the history of Rogers was Erwin Funk, editor of the Rogers Democrat, a paper which he and his father bought in 1896. For over 30 years Funk immersed himself in community affairs and became an enthusiastic participant in the Arkansas Press Association and the National Editorial Association; he served as president of the latter in 1928-29.
[Click here to see Erwin Funk’s newspaper convention badges]

After a stint as a YMCA athletic director to American troops in France during World War I, Funk returned to make the Democrat into a model small-town weekly and a financial success. Ordered to slow down by his doctor, he sold his paper to Everett Pate in 1929. Up until his death in 1960, Funk devoted his time to writing newspaper columns, travel, and community service.


Erwin Funk at the National Editorial Association's
annual meeting in Columbia, Missouri, 1929.
Courtesy of Katherine Whatley. Neg. #11557