Bio: LaGasse, John “Jack” (Publisher Honored - 2015)

Contact: Dolores (Mohr) Kenyon
E-mail: dolores@wiclarkcountyhistory.org 

Surnames: LaGasse, Hunter, Wagner, Elkins

----Source: Thorp Courier (Thorp, Clark Co., WI) 9/09/2015

LaGasse, John “Jack” (Publisher Honored - 2015)

John “Jack” LaGasse, deceased former publisher of The Thorp Courier, will be honored by the Wisconsin Newspaper Associations for his work in the Wisconsin newspaper industry at a ceremony on Friday, September 18, in Eagle River.

LaGasse’s name will be enshrined on the Wisconsin newspaper Association Foundation (WNAF) Memorial Pylon, a monument to Wisconsin newspaper publishers who have passed away and left behind their legacies of service to their communities and to the Wisconsin Newspaper industry. The pylon sits in the WMA Memorial Grove on the campus of Trees for Tomorrow in Eagle River. Eight other WNA publishers will also be honored in a ceremony attended by their families, friends and colleagues, as well as WNA members.

The public is welcome to attend the ceremony, which begins at 11:30 a.m. at 519 E. Sheridan St., Eagle River, Wisconsin, 54521. A reception will be held before the ceremony at 11:00 a.m.

For more information, contact Wisconsin newspaper Association Member Services Director Julia Hunter by phone at 608-283-7622.

Each year, WNA members commemorate the lives and work of Wisconsin newspaper publishers who have passed away. This year’s ceremony includes the rededication of a new WNAF Memorial Pylon, completed in 2014. This sturdy, granite monument replaces the wooden pylon that stood for decades.

LaGasse published The Thorp Courier for 32 years, starting in 1954. At the time, he shared publishing duties with his father-in-law, William S. Wagner, and Robert Elkins. In 1975, he began co-publishing the newspaper with his wife, Joyce.

LaGasse will be remembered for his diligent participation in the Thorp Male Chorus, Thorp Fire and Ambulance Department, American legion, Masons, VFW and the Thorp Businessmen’s Association, among many other community organizations. He founded the Miss Thorp program, a pageant that’s part of the city’s annual Dairy Days celebration. LaGasse also received the Businessman of the Year Award.

LaGasse died Oct. 18, 2014, at 89. He is survived by four children, 11 grandchildren, four step-grandchildren, 12 great-grandchildren two step-great-grandchildren and a brother.