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Christian Science Church leader, Monitor editor dies
The national president of the Christian Science Church and former editor of The Christian Science Monitor died of apparent natural causes in a Kansas City hotel on Sunday.
Richard Bergenheim, 60, and his wife were in town for a speaking engagement. They were staying at the Courtyard by Marriott, 4600 J.C. Nichols Parkway.
His wife told police that she awoke about 7:50 a.m. Sunday and found him sitting on a couch in their suite and that he had no signs of life.
Bergenheim was appointed editor of The Christian Science Monitor in May 2005. Under his leadership, The Monitor redesigned its front page and launched a new weekend section. He also oversaw the return of a correspondent who was kidnapped in Baghdad.
He left the editor’s job last month and became an editor at large. He recently was named president of the church, a one-year assignment.