David Edward Hardin, 78, of Huntsville, passed away Oct. 18, 2018. Mr. Hardin was a writer, editor and executive at newspapers for more than 50 years, including the Nashville Banner, where he was editorial director in the late 1970s.
Mr. Hardin was born in Nashville and was a seventh-generation Tennessean. He attended Christ the King Catholic Church and graduated from Father Ryan High School in 1958. He remained close throughout his life with many of his friends of youth.
Mr. Hardin’s newspaper training began while a member of the U.S. Air Force. In 1964, he married Jona Williams of Paris, Tennessee, then set out on a career that took him to newspapers large and small in seven Southern states including the Huntsville Times, where he retired as an editor. Two daughters were born to the couple. “A man never had a more loving and loyal wife and family,” he said, “even when I was about to drag them off on the next adventure.”
His newspaper writing won local and national awards. His editorials advocating passage of the Mississippi Education Reform Act of 1982 helped the Jackson, MS newspaper win the Pulitzer Prize for Distinguished Public Service. His advice for the editorial writers was to ‘keep your own integrity in good shape if you’re going to preach at people about theirs.”
Mr. Hardin and his wife moved to Huntsville, AL from Florida where he was a managing editor at the Tampa Tribune. In Huntsville he became a member of Our Lady Help of Christians Church, a Latin rite Catholic parish. In retirement, he authored two books of Civil War history, “After the War” and “Emblems of Woe”. He lectured on “After the War” at the Library of Congress and at Lipscomb University, the latter a return to the neighborhood where he was raised.
His father, Charles H. ‘Chili’ Hardin, Jr., who predeceased him, was a noted athlete and coach at Montgomery Bell Academy. Mr. Hardin was also predeceased by his mother, Dorothy Vestal Hardin; a brother, Charles H Hardin, III; and a sister, Mary Constance (Connie) Hardin McNeil.
Survivors include wife, Jona Hardin; daughters, Angela King (Jeff), and Melanie Berbrier (Mitch); grandchildren, Jared Tipton, Brooke Plesce, Jesse Plesce, Samantha Berbrier and Jack Berbrier.
Visitation will be from 3 to 5 p.m. Sunday, October 21 at Laughlin Service Funeral Home in Huntsville. A Rosary will be held at 10 a.m Monday at Our Lady Help of Christians Church, followed by the funeral Mass at 10:30 at the church. Burial will be in Maple Hill Cemetery.
