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Sept. 27, 2023 Editor, The News-Gazette: Our community has suffered as big a civic loss as any can imagine when Matthew White Paxton Jr. died Saturday at Kendal. He was 96, and spent his entire professional life as owner, editor and publisher of The News-Gazette (and of the Rockbridge County News before the 1962 merger with the Gazette).
One of his many civic achievements was the founding of the Historic Lexington Foundation in 1966. Both Matt Paxton Jr. and his father are listed on HLF’s Honor Roll of Preservationists. With a group of dedicated citizens in our city and county, Matt lead the way to save our past and help to preserve historic structures in town and country.
We remember Matt as a vigorous supporter of ours behind the scenes as well as in the public eye for almost six decades. This community would have been vastly less interesting and less worthy without Matt Paxton.
HLF extends its condolences to the Paxton family. DEE JOYCE-HAYES President, Historic Lexington Foundation
