James Roberts

James Roberts, the consumate newspaper publisher from West Texas, was publisher of the Andrews County News and chairman of Roberts Publishing Company, owner of newspapers in Andrews, Azle, Brownfield, Copperas Cove, Gatesville, Granbury, Hereford, Lamesa, Quanah, Seminole, Springtown, Snyder and Vernon at the time of his death in December 1997. Roberts was president of Texas Press Association in 1980-81. His column, Drifting Sands, appeared on the front page of every edition of the Andrews County News for 47 years. He was a civic leader, instrumental in building a community hospital. He tried for a dozen years, unsuccessfully, to bring about the building of a short trunk railroad line to serve his community and stimulate manufacturing. He worked closely with the publishers with all of his newspapers to instill and foster a strong sense of civic duty and pride in the communities they served. He was born in Toyah in 1923 and moved to Andrews in 1934 at the height of the Depression with his parents. He attended Texas Tech and was drafted into the U.S. Army in World War II. He was wounded and captured by enemy forces at Anzio. He was a prisoner of war for 53 weeks.