‘Keep the tradition and legacy.’ Publisher of KC weekly The Call dies at the age of 65
Donna Stewart, publisher and longtime journalist at the Kansas City weekly, The Call, died Saturday, according to the newspaper’s acting managing editor.
She was 65 years old.
Stewart had been with the newspaper since May 1977, said Eric Wesson. She started writing for the newspaper after graduating from Lincoln University in Jefferson City. She later became the publisher and managing editor.
“She enjoyed and loved journalism,” said Wesson, who worked with Stewart for 17 years. “She loved the community.”
According to the newspaper’s history, The Call was founded in 1919 by Chester Arthur Franklin, who moved from Colorado to Kansas City and started a newspaper to serve the city’s African American population.
Lucile H. Bluford, a journalist and a civil rights activist, became the editor after Franklin died in 1955, holding that post for decades, according to the Kansas City Public Library. For several years before Bluford died in 2003, Stewart helped take care of her and sought to keep the paper running, according to Wesson.
In 2019, The Call, located at 18th and Woodland, celebrated its 100th-year anniversary. Later that year, in December, Wesson said Stewart’s work slowed down after she became ill. She was later diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.
She was in palliative care when she died Saturday morning, he said.
A private burial is expected to be scheduled within the week, Wesson said. Watkins Heritage Chapel will be handling the service. Wesson said he hopes a public memorial service will be held once the coronavirus crisis comes to an end.
Wesson described Stewart as a kind, giving woman who “believed in people, believed that everybody deserved a second chance.” She dedicated her life to reporting for the community through The Call. He said Stewart brought him into the newspaper business and taught him as a journalist.
“The last thing she told me was just to keep it going,” Wesson said. “Keep the tradition and legacy.”
This story was originally published April 11, 2020 at 10:08 PM.
