From the Virginian-PilotThey came by the hundreds Thursday - mayors and newspaper executives, a governor and one of his predecessors, college presidents and military students - to honor the local patriarch of journalism and philanthropy.
Frank Batten "was a fabulous man who did extraordinarily fabulous things in a low-key way," said Frank Daniels Jr., former publisher of The News & Observer of Raleigh, N.C.
Batten, the former publisher of The Virginian-Pilot and retired chairman of its parent company, now known as Landmark Media Enterprises LLC, died last week at the age of 82.
Starting with a pair of local papers, Batten built one of the country's largest privately held media companies, standing up for racial integration early in his career. He launched The Weather Channel in 1982, proving wrong those in the industry who scoffed at the notion of round-the-clock weather news.
He also donated millions of dollars, mostly to educational causes, including to Virginia Wesleyan College, the site of his memorial service Thursday.
Batten was lovingly recalled for his fierce competitiveness, unflinching ethical standards and unerring business acumen. His friends and son also remembered his rowdy younger days, clumsy athletic moments and rare professional regrets.
"I think Frank Batten was probably the most respected active newspaperman by other newspaper people," said Daniels, a former member of the board of Landmark, which owns The Pilot. "He was a publisher who knew that news is paramount to a newspaper's success."
Batten developed a reputation for "never bending the rules to gain an advantage," Daniels said. "Frank was a leader who led by listening to what others had to say."
Nearly 1,300 people attended the 75-minute service at Virginia Wesleyan's Jane P. Batten Student Center, named for his wife, a member and former chairwoman of the college's board.
They included Gov. Timothy M. Kaine and former Gov. Gerald Baliles; Mayors Paul Fraim of Norfolk and Will Sessoms of Virginia Beach; at least four college presidents; and the business dean and provost of the University of Virginia.
From the journalism world, past and present Landmark executives, editors and reporters came. So did Louis Boccardi, the retired president and CEO of The Associated Press, whose board Batten led in the early 1980s; Boccardi's successor, Tom Curley; and Dean Singleton, CEO of the Media News Group, which includes The Denver Post and Los Angeles Daily News.
They sat on white folding chairs and blue arena seats in the center's Convocation Hall, which holds the college's graduations and basketball games.
The location in "a gymnasium, a place of competition," was fitting, Daniels said. "Was there ever a man more competitive than Frank Batten?"
Fitting, too, given his bountiful philanthropy to colleges and universities.
Virginia Wesleyan received nearly $25 million from Batten. His $32 million gift to Old Dominion University in 2003 was the school's largest. A $100 million donation to U.Va. launched a leadership school in his name.
He also was a passionate sportsman.
Stuart Christhilf, a friend from Baltimore for nearly 40 years, spoke of their shared love of sailing and skiing.
"As he did in business, Frank embraced risk but never carelessly," Christhilf said. "There was usually a rational underpinning and always good odds for success."
Batten, Christhilf said, was "an exceptionally loyal" friend. "He didn't traffic in other people's foibles and weaknesses. He rarely had a bad word to say about anyone, excepting, of course, lawyers and politicians."
Batten's success was hardly foretold by his rambunctious younger years. Frank Batten Jr. ticked off a list of his father's early mischievous moments in Norfolk: Burning down a building. Tipping buckets filled with water against the front doors of houses. Missing one of every three school days in the eighth grade at Blair Junior High.
"Needless to say, my father's family was mortified," Batten Jr. said.
Batten was sent to Culver Military Academy in Indiana to shape up, and he didn't get off to a good start there. In class, he twirled his cap on a pencil tip instead of paying attention, recalled James Henderson, a lifelong friend who was the son of a Culver administrator. He often didn't turn in work. He was suspended for an unauthorized jaunt off campus.
But he straightened up, thanks to a cross country coach, and "a renewed, resurrected Frank Batten emerged from Culver," said Frank Batten Jr., who is Landmark's CEO.
"His self-esteem grew, and he developed a tremendous work ethic."
In his senior year, Batten scored the first of innumerable leadership triumphs. The unit of students under his command had no chance of winning the academic or athletic competition, Henderson said. So he aimed for the military contest.
"The heels of each cadet in his command came down on the pavement in unison, as if one, and they won," Henderson said.
Others attending the service recalled how Batten had touched their lives. Golden Bethune-Hill, 65, the executive vice president of Riverside Health System in Newport News, said Batten's early courage spared her hardship.
As publisher of The Pilot in the late 1950s, Batten authorized editorials and organized a full-page ad of businesspeople to oppose the Massive Resistance movement, which closed Norfolk schools to block integration. Hill, who is black, was then a high school student in Newport News.
When she met Batten, she told him: "Thank you for all of your work. Because of your work on this side to open the schools, our schools did not close."
Lauren Collins, 27, said one of Batten's most ambitious civic projects shaped her future.
With Norfolk businessman Joshua Darden Jr., Batten created the Access College Foundation in 1988. The organization has helped more than 30,000 local high school graduates enroll in college and get more than $235 million in aid.
When Collins was a senior at Wilson High School in Portsmouth, an ACCESS adviser helped walk her through the federal application for financial aid. Collins won a full-tuition scholarship to Christopher Newport University in 2000.
After she graduated - as the first in her family to receive a college degree - she returned to ACCESS as a high school adviser. She has posted Batten's obituary in her office to remind students "what a great man he was, and all that he did for this area."
"His legacy will continue to live on in this community," Collins said. "The fact that he wanted to make education more accessible to students, that's going to continue."
Frank Batten "was a fabulous man who did extraordinarily fabulous things in a low-key way," said Frank Daniels Jr., former publisher of The News & Observer of Raleigh, N.C.
Batten, the former publisher of The Virginian-Pilot and retired chairman of its parent company, now known as Landmark Media Enterprises LLC, died last week at the age of 82.
Starting with a pair of local papers, Batten built one of the country's largest privately held media companies, standing up for racial integration early in his career. He launched The Weather Channel in 1982, proving wrong those in the industry who scoffed at the notion of round-the-clock weather news.
He also donated millions of dollars, mostly to educational causes, including to Virginia Wesleyan College, the site of his memorial service Thursday.
Batten was lovingly recalled for his fierce competitiveness, unflinching ethical standards and unerring business acumen. His friends and son also remembered his rowdy younger days, clumsy athletic moments and rare professional regrets.
"I think Frank Batten was probably the most respected active newspaperman by other newspaper people," said Daniels, a former member of the board of Landmark, which owns The Pilot. "He was a publisher who knew that news is paramount to a newspaper's success."
Batten developed a reputation for "never bending the rules to gain an advantage," Daniels said. "Frank was a leader who led by listening to what others had to say."
Nearly 1,300 people attended the 75-minute service at Virginia Wesleyan's Jane P. Batten Student Center, named for his wife, a member and former chairwoman of the college's board.
They included Gov. Timothy M. Kaine and former Gov. Gerald Baliles; Mayors Paul Fraim of Norfolk and Will Sessoms of Virginia Beach; at least four college presidents; and the business dean and provost of the University of Virginia.
From the journalism world, past and present Landmark executives, editors and reporters came. So did Louis Boccardi, the retired president and CEO of The Associated Press, whose board Batten led in the early 1980s; Boccardi's successor, Tom Curley; and Dean Singleton, CEO of the Media News Group, which includes The Denver Post and Los Angeles Daily News.
They sat on white folding chairs and blue arena seats in the center's Convocation Hall, which holds the college's graduations and basketball games.
The location in "a gymnasium, a place of competition," was fitting, Daniels said. "Was there ever a man more competitive than Frank Batten?"
Fitting, too, given his bountiful philanthropy to colleges and universities.
Virginia Wesleyan received nearly $25 million from Batten. His $32 million gift to Old Dominion University in 2003 was the school's largest. A $100 million donation to U.Va. launched a leadership school in his name.
He also was a passionate sportsman.
Stuart Christhilf, a friend from Baltimore for nearly 40 years, spoke of their shared love of sailing and skiing.
"As he did in business, Frank embraced risk but never carelessly," Christhilf said. "There was usually a rational underpinning and always good odds for success."
Batten, Christhilf said, was "an exceptionally loyal" friend. "He didn't traffic in other people's foibles and weaknesses. He rarely had a bad word to say about anyone, excepting, of course, lawyers and politicians."
Batten's success was hardly foretold by his rambunctious younger years. Frank Batten Jr. ticked off a list of his father's early mischievous moments in Norfolk: Burning down a building. Tipping buckets filled with water against the front doors of houses. Missing one of every three school days in the eighth grade at Blair Junior High.
"Needless to say, my father's family was mortified," Batten Jr. said.
Batten was sent to Culver Military Academy in Indiana to shape up, and he didn't get off to a good start there. In class, he twirled his cap on a pencil tip instead of paying attention, recalled James Henderson, a lifelong friend who was the son of a Culver administrator. He often didn't turn in work. He was suspended for an unauthorized jaunt off campus.
But he straightened up, thanks to a cross country coach, and "a renewed, resurrected Frank Batten emerged from Culver," said Frank Batten Jr., who is Landmark's CEO.
"His self-esteem grew, and he developed a tremendous work ethic."
In his senior year, Batten scored the first of innumerable leadership triumphs. The unit of students under his command had no chance of winning the academic or athletic competition, Henderson said. So he aimed for the military contest.
"The heels of each cadet in his command came down on the pavement in unison, as if one, and they won," Henderson said.
Others attending the service recalled how Batten had touched their lives. Golden Bethune-Hill, 65, the executive vice president of Riverside Health System in Newport News, said Batten's early courage spared her hardship.
As publisher of The Pilot in the late 1950s, Batten authorized editorials and organized a full-page ad of businesspeople to oppose the Massive Resistance movement, which closed Norfolk schools to block integration. Hill, who is black, was then a high school student in Newport News.
When she met Batten, she told him: "Thank you for all of your work. Because of your work on this side to open the schools, our schools did not close."
Lauren Collins, 27, said one of Batten's most ambitious civic projects shaped her future.
With Norfolk businessman Joshua Darden Jr., Batten created the Access College Foundation in 1988. The organization has helped more than 30,000 local high school graduates enroll in college and get more than $235 million in aid.
When Collins was a senior at Wilson High School in Portsmouth, an ACCESS adviser helped walk her through the federal application for financial aid. Collins won a full-tuition scholarship to Christopher Newport University in 2000.
After she graduated - as the first in her family to receive a college degree - she returned to ACCESS as a high school adviser. She has posted Batten's obituary in her office to remind students "what a great man he was, and all that he did for this area."
"His legacy will continue to live on in this community," Collins said. "The fact that he wanted to make education more accessible to students, that's going to continue."
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