Robert G. Whitfield

Robert G. “Bob” Whitfield, 68, of Punta Gorda passed away August 1, 2006. He was born October 6, 1937 in Blountstown, FL to Drew and Margie (Brown) Whitfield. Bob had been with the Charlotte Sun since 1996, but his long newspaper career began many years earlier when he was 17 years old. He began by selling subscriptions for the Miami News in the early 1950's and quickly rose to become the youngest circulation district manager in the country at age 18. In 1965, he was chosen by Al Neuharth (former Gannett Chairman and founder of USA Today) to be instrumental in launching Gannett’s Today in Cocoa, FL; he brought that circulation to 40, 000 in the first year. Now located in Melbourne, FL, Today served as a prototype for Gannett’s USA Today. From 1969 to 1976, Bob served as circulation director for the Tampa Tribune, then as Corporate Circulation Director for Gannett in Rochester, NY. In 1977 he returned to Florida and began his own auto parts distributorship in Dunedin, FL. The newspaper bug bit again, and Bob returned to newspaper work at the Camden Courier Post in Cherry Hill, NJ, then went on to help the Gwinnett Daily News in Duluth, GA take on the formidable Atlanta Journal-Constitution in the competitive greater Atlanta area. 1996 saw a move to Punta Gorda and the Charlotte Sun, first as advertising sales manager, then as circulation director. He also served as a Vice President over the advertising and circulation departments. Bob’s greatest accomplishment, however, was in his role as mentor. He loved what he did and took great joy in passing that passion along. He was known as a developer of people and many of his proteges have risen to top positions in newspapers around the country. Bob also had a talent for consistently finding the right employee for the job. He enjoyed sports, especially the Florida Gators and the St. Louis Cardinals, and that love spurred his competitive spirit. He was a member of Burnt Store Presbyterian Church. Bob will be greatly missed by his wife of 31 years, Jane Whitfield; son, Jake (Ashley) Whitfield of Tallahassee, FL; step-sons, Matt (Amy) Dunbar of Charlotte, NC and Marc (Chollet) Dunbar of Tallahassee, FL; grandchildren, Drew and Lark Whitfield of Tallahassee, FL, Will and Lindsey Dunbar of Charlotte, NC, and Conner, Tyler, and Baylor Dunbar of Tallahassee, FL; sister, Debbie Husted of Starke, FL; and many colleagues and friends. The service in celebration of Bob’s life will be at 6:00 pm Friday, August 4 at Burnt Store Presbyterian Church in Punta Gorda. There will also be a graveside service at 1:00 pm Sunday, August 6 at Chippola Cemetery in Altha, FL. The family requests memorial donations be made to TideWell Hospice, 1144 Veronica Street, Port Charlotte, FL 33952. To express condolences to the family, please sign the online guest book.