John died July 18, 2013, in his native Owensboro, Ky., after a long battle with Parkinson’s disease.
John was respected as an attorney, journalist, philanthropist, and public-reform advocate. He and his brother were third-generation publishers of the Owensboro Messenger-Inquirer, once named as one of the top five small-city newspapers in the country.
An Exeter graduate, he served in the Navy from 1945 to 1946. John majored in history at Princeton and belonged to Cannon Club. He graduated from the University of Michigan Law School in 1953 and practiced law in Owensboro until 1973, when he became co-editor of the Messenger-Inquirer. He also was president of the Owensboro Broadcasting Co.
After the sale of the newspaper in 1996, John and his wife, Marjorie, established the Community Life Foundation, which seeks to engage citizens in a dialogue on challenging community and world issues.
He was involved in Junior Achievement and Rotary and was instrumental in starting Owensboro Community College. His contributions were summed up by the Louisville Courier-Journal headline: “Owensboro’s John Hager made the state a better place.”
We extend our sympathy to Marjorie, his wife of 60 years; children Bruce, Sally, Stewart, and Susie; eight grandchildren; and his brother, Larry.