Harold Bentholl Sanders served as editor of the Aberdeen Examiner for 38 years. The mark of a good editor is that he not only produce a good journal, but also that he use his position to make a positive impact on the community he serves. H. B. Sanders did that.
He was born September 21, 1886, in Kosciusko, Mississippi, to Wiley Sanders and Frances Jennings Stokes Sanders, the oldest of seven children.
His father owned and edited the Kosciusko Star Herald, served in the state legislature for 26 years and later as mayor of Kosciusko. Throughout his youth, Harold helped his father with the newspaper, and while in high school accepted full responsibility for getting the paper out during the time his father had to be away on legislative matters.
Harold Sanders entered Mississippi A&M College (now Mississippi State University) in 1907, graduating in three years with honors. At the college he served as editor-in-chief of the Reveille (school annual) and on the staff of the Reflector, the school newspaper.
Following graduation he taught for one year at Jefferson Military Academy in Washington, Mississippi. His next position was with the U.S. War Department in the Office of the Chief of Engineers at Washington, D.C. While there, he attended George Washington University and earned a degree in law (LLD) in 1914. After he obtained his degree, he returned to Kosciusko, Mississippi, where he was a practicing lawyer with O.R. Luckett as his partner.
In 1915, Sanders heard that a newspaper was for sale in Aberdeen. Recalling his love of newspaper work while young, Sanders traveled to Aberdeen to inquire about the paper. He returned, having been employed as editor with an option to buy. After one year, the newspaper was on its feet and Sanders bought it. The newspaper was so successful that after the end of World War I, his brother Roger Williams Sanders joined him as partner. Harold Sanders continued to serve as editor and Roger took on the job of business manager.
Sanders believed that a newspaper had a mission of service. That responsibility was never shirked during the 38 years he served as editor. He worked tirelessly for the betterment of his area. He had been nurtured in politics and he and his brother were active in church and civic organizations. This dedication was reflected in his editorials. He editorialized for and used his newspaper to promote industrial development, agriculture, medical and education institutions, recreation and transportation in the area his paper served. Two major projects that were instigated by Sanders, the Gulf Ordnance Plant at Prairie and the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway, were successful and benefited the area.
