George Belsher Kimbrough

1941 - 2012

George Belsher Kimbrough, long time Paris journalist, died May 4, 2012, at Paris Regional Medical Center. He was born on October 17, 1941, in Sherman to Louise Belsher Kimbrough and Joseph Key Kimbrough. He grew up on his family's ranch in Bells, which was purchased by his grandfather in 1875. He was a 1960 graduate of Sherman High School and a 1964 graduate of North Texas State University where he majored in journalism. He then pursued graduate work in photojournalism at East Texas State University.

George was a member of Sigma Delta Chi, a journalism honors fraternity, and also sat on the boards of the Texas Press Association and the Northeast Texas Press Association for which he served as president. He received numerous awards for his writing and photography.

He was a reporter at the Sherman Democrat when he met his future wife, Judith Fielden. They married on April 3, 1971. They moved to Paris in 1974 when George was named city editor for the Paris News. He later became the general manager of the Lamar County Echo. Returning to The Paris News, George served in several positions, including his favorite, regional editor. He was known for building trusting relationships quickly and getting stories from people who would not be interviewed by anyone else. He was known for being fair and impartial in his reporting and clearly understood the difference between a news story and an editorial. He left The Paris News to work in public relations for St. Joseph's Hospital, and worked in this capacity until his retirement in 2007. George taught continuing education photography at Paris Junior College for several years. Being a newspaper man at heart, George returned to journalism during his retirement by working for The Roxton Progress until one week before his passing.

George was active in numerous civic activities including the Paris Chamber of Commerce Visitor and Convention Council, Crime Stoppers, Friends of the Maxey House, and the City of Paris Traffic Commission. He served on the Salvation Army Advisory Board and was instrumental in ensuring the acquisition of a generator for the building. George was active in Kiwanis and was awarded the prestigious Outstanding President Award. He was a volunteer at the A.M. Aikin Archives at Paris Junior College every Tuesday afternoon without fail. He was a lifelong Methodist and grew up at Bells Methodist Church where his grandparents were charter members.

His life was not as long as we would have liked, but few have lived one better. He was a genuinely happy man with a loving heart. Every person he met was of value to him, and we do not believe he ever met a stranger. His saying was always, "It's a friend you haven't met yet." All of our lives were made richer by knowing him.

He is survived by his wife Judith, his son Todd of San Antonio, his daughter Ellen of Dallas and her fiancé, Dr. Georgios Alexandrakis of Arlington. He had several dear cousins and more friends than he could count, or would.

The family will receive visitors at Fry Gibbs Funeral Home from 6 - 7 p.m., Sunday, May 6. The funeral will be Monday morning, May 7, at 10 a.m., in the Fry Gibbs Chapel. Interment is at West Hill Cemetery in Sherman at 3 p.m. Visit Fry Gibbs Funeral Home at fry-gibbs@sbcglobal.net

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