George Clasen
George Henry Clasen II, 86, of Garnett, died Nov. 26, 2002, at the Anderson County Hospital in Garnett.
Born Jan. 26, 1916, at Washington, he was a twin son of George H. and Elizabeth Clasen.
After attending grade and high school in Washington, he attended the University of Kansas where he was a member of the KU band and served one term as managing editor of the University Daily Kansan, graduating in 1939 with a major in Journalism.
While attending KU, and for a few months after graduation, he was employed at the Washington County Register in Washington. On Oct. 1, 1939, he purchased the Norborne, Mo., Democrat-Leader. On Oct. 28, 1939, he was united in marriage to Margaret West at Marysville. They published the newspaper in Norborne until 1942, when he enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Force.
After being discharged from the USAF in late 1945, the family lived in Washington and Marysville, while he was employed at the Marysville Advocate.
On July 1, 1946, the family purchased the Florence Bulletin. While in Florence, Clasen was involved in numerous activities, served on the Florence City Council, was president of the Florence Board of Education, was president of the Rotary Club, the Chamber of Commerce, commander of the American Legion, and a member of the Masonic Lodge. He served as chairman of the Marion County Republican Party. In 1960 he was president of the Kansas Press Association.
The Clasens purchased half interest in the Garnett Publishing Co., on Oct. 1, 1964, and moved to Garnett. From that time until June of 1985, when the Garnett Publishing Co., was sold, and he retired, Clasen served as editor of the Garnett Review and assisted in the publication of the Anderson Countian.
While in Garnett, Clasen was commander of the American Legion, president of the Chamber of Commerce and the Garnett Rotary Club, and was chairman of the Anderson County Republican Central Committee. He also served one year as president of the Kansas Day Club, and was an alternate delegate to the Republican National Convention in 1976.
He was a member of the Garnett Rotary Club, the Garnett Country Club, the First United Methodist Church, the American Legion, the Garnett Area Chamber of Commerce and the Ambassadors Committee, the Barberhawks, the Anderson County Republican Central Committee, the Masonic Lodge, and the Contract Bridge Club.
In 1997, George and Margaret Clasen were grand marshals of the Garnett Area Chamber of Commerce Christmas Parade, and in 2001 he was presented with a Community Service Award for his 35 years of service and work to the local Garnett Area Chamber of Commerce.
The Anderson County Republican Party awarded Clasen with a resolution in October 2000, signed by Governor Bill Graves, acknowledging his 60 years of service to the Republican Party of Kansas.
He is survived by his wife Margaret, of the home; two sons, Richard Clasen, who is editor of The Eureka Herald, and his wife Rachel, of Eureka, and David Clasen, who is a title examiner for Pacific Northwest Title Co., Seattle, Wash.; five grandchildren; and eight great-grandchildren.
