Former Repository editor Allan R. Simpson Jr. dies

Allan R. Simpson Jr.

Allan R. Simpson Jr., a longtime writer and editor for The Canton Repository known for his travel columns, died Monday, April 27. He was 96.

Simpson spent 30 years at the newspaper, working 18 years as state editor, handling news coverage of Canton’s nearby counties, and several years as associate editor — a job that involved writing in-depth current-affairs articles and helping with the editorial page, according to Repository archives.

The Canton native graduated from McKinley High School in 1935 and from Muskingum College in 1941 before enlisting in the Army. He was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the medical corps in 1942 and transferred to the Army Air Corps in 1945, according to Repository archives. Simpson joined The Repository staff the same year and stayed until 1975.

Mike Hanke, former editor of The Repository, was a new reporter during Simpson’s tenure. Simpson became one of Hanke’s mentors.

Hanke said Simpson was a patient and sharp editor who understood how to add nuance and context to stories, occasionally tempering the “black-and-white outlook” some young reporters had about the subjects they covered.

“Al taught compassion,” Hanke said.

Simpson traveled frequently and often wrote about his adventures for The Repository. In 1969, he made a trip to Guatemala to administer free measles vaccinations. He told readers about the culture, detailing his observations of witch doctors, hand-washing demonstrations and Jeep rides, and he explained that measles ran in seven-year cycles there.

“Already there are far too many tiny caskets being borne down the center of the streets of every community in this lovely land of friendly people,” he wrote. “We hope we are helping the Guatemalans change that.”

Simpson also chronicled his experiences in Alaska, South Africa, Central America and South America. In 1971, he was selected to tour Eastern Europe and make reports to The Repository as part of a monthlong study program.

After leaving the newspaper, Simpson worked as press secretary for U.S. Rep. Ralph Regula. He was lauded for his efforts to preserve and restore the towpath of the Ohio and Erie Canalway and received an award in 1970 from the Carroll County Historical Society for his promotion of the then 150-year-old Algonquin Mill.

Simpson authored five books, including “Along the Towpath: A Journalist Rediscovers the Ohio and Erie Canal.”

He is survived by three children and their spouses, 10 grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren, according to his obituary.

A memorial service will be held this month in Sperryville, Virginia, where Simpson lived.

- By Alison Matas, Canton Repository