Montezuma County CO Archives Obituaries.....Cline, Platt Herrick October 3, 2001 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/co/cofiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Tom Vaughn wr@fone.net October 28, 2001 Platt H. Cline Platt Herrick Cline, Mancos man who headed the Arizona Daily Sun, passes away in Flagstaff at 90 In June of this year, we noted the passing of Mancos native Barbara Decker Cline in Flagstaff. Sally Weaver and Noland Alexander have now shared with us the news that Barbara's husband, Platt Herrick Cline, died in Flagstaff on Oct. 3, 2001, at the age of 90. On Oct. 4, the Arizona Daily Sun, the Flagstaff daily he edited and then published from 1946 to 1976, devoted 3/4 of the front page, all of page A7 and an editorial to the achievements of this man from Mancos. The front -page story (too long to reproduce in this paper but which Randy Wilson, editor of the Daily Sun has kindly permitted us to quote), summarized Platt Cline1s accomplishments as follows: "A man of immense energy and wide-ranging intellect, Cline used his clout as editor, publisher and president of the Arizona Daily Sun to champion the creation of Northern Arizona University, desegregated schools, better relations with American Indian tribes and improved highway access to Flagstaff, among his many causes." On Feb. 7, 1911, Platt Herrick Cline was born to Gilbert Timothy and Jessie Hatfield Baker Cline in Mancos. After graduating from Mancos High School in 1928 and New Mexico Military Institute in 1930, Cline attended the University of Colorado at Boulder for one year. Platt and Barbara were married in 1936, while he was starting his newspaper career as a reporter for The Mancos Times-Tribune. Platt Cline went on to work at the Norwood Post-Independent, the Coconino Sun, the Winslow Mail and the Holbrook Tribune-News before signing on as editor when the Arizona Daily Sun began publication in 1946. He remained there for 30 years, retiring from the paper's presidency. The influence of Platt Cline's work, often with Barbara, his wife of 66 years, is made clear in the Daily Sun's Oct. 4 editorial, reprinted here with permission. "He left his community a better place than when he arrived. "That's an epitaph that would probably suit Platt Herrick Cline just fine. "But it wouldn't be the whole truth -- not by a long shot. "Platt Cline came to Flagstaff in 1938 with his wife, Barbara, and for 63 years they loved their adopted hometown for all it was worth. They loved its poor and its rich, its whites and blacks, its children and old-timers, its schools, its forests and its mountains. "Cline happened to be a journalist -- he was editor, publisher and president of this newspaper during the course of 30 years. But he was really a man out to serve his vision of the common good, and he had the good fortune to be associated with an institution that helped him do just that. "Although Cline himself had only completed two years of college by the time he arrived in Flagstaff, he saw education as the key to improvement for his beloved mountain town. Flagstaff would be one of the first Arizona cities to integrate its public schools because of Cline, and the city would be home to one of only three universities in Arizona -- again thanks to Platt Cline. "Whether it was pushing for better relations with Native Americans, better housing in the aftermath of World War II or better highway connections that would make Flagstaff the crossroads of northern Arizona, Platt Cline's vision was an inclusive one that honored diversity and tolerance for new ideas. Flagstaff changed immensely during his time here, but as long as that change resulted in a healthier, happier and more prosperous city, he embraced it wholeheartedly. "Separately, Platt and Barbara were each formidable in their own way. Together, they were a nearly unstoppable combination of entrepreneurial spirit, cultured intellect, unerring sense of right and wrong, and generosity to a fault. They influenced several generations of new Flagstaff leaders without realizing it -- or at least never taking any of the credit for themselves. "It's unclear how the Clines, who hailed from rural Colorado, chose Flagstaff or why they wrapped it in such a loving embrace. It's also not important. It should be enough that for 63 years Flagstaff was graced by their vision of the common good. As we grapple with the challenges of Flagstaff's second century, we could do worse than look back for guidance to the first and the lives of Platt and Barbara Cline." He was preceded in death by his wife, Barbara; a son, Robert; and a brother, Fred. He is survived by sisters Edith Leadbetter of Flagstaff and Elizabeth Nagley; grandsons Robert H. Cline II (Nancy) of Flagstaff and Kelly Michael Cline; and six great-grandchildren. Masonic graveside services were held Monday, Oct. 8, at Citizens Cemetery in Flagstaff. Memorial contributions can be made to Northland Hospice, 1609 S. Plaza Way, Flagstaff, AZ 86001. The news story about Platt Cline is available online at http://www.azdailysun.com/non_sec/nav_includes/story.cfm?storyID=26591&syr=2001. Stories about Cline's life (including the one about running the dead pig up the flagpole) can be found at http://www.azdailysun.com/non_sec/nav_includes/story.cfm?storyID=26913&syr=2001. -- Tom Vaughan, Editor The Mancos Times-Tribune Serving the beautiful Mancos Valley since 1892 P.O. Box 987, Mancos, CO 81328 (970) 533-7766 (970) 565-8527 thomasv@cortezjournal.com fax (970) 565-8532 File located at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/co/montezuma/obits/c/cline.txt