Richard “Rich” Marshall, award-winning journalist, editor and former general manager of The Collegian, passed away on Sept. 20 after a long illness. He was 76 years old.

Born Oct. 12, 1947, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Marshall studied journalism and political science at the University of Wisconsin at River Falls, where he was named editor of his college newspaper. After graduating in 1969, he worked as a reporter for the Red Wing Republican Eagle in Minnesota, the Milwaukee Sentinel and the Anchorage Daily News before landing at The Fresno Bee.

During his career at The Bee, he served as sports copy editor, metro copy editor, sports editor, assistant managing editor and senior editor. He was on the editorial team that was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in 1984 for the coverage of the 6.7 Coalinga earthquake of 1983. He was on the newsroom management team when The Bee won the first-place award for general excellence two years in a row. He retired from the Fresno Bee after more than 30 years.

While working at The Fresno Bee, he met the love of his life, Gail Miller, a features reporter for the paper. They married, and Rich became a father to Gail’s son, Scott. He was also “Host Daddy” and “Big Daddy” to many foreign exchange students from around the world. Marshall always flew the flag of the home country of his students in residence, and his hallway is lined with their photos.

After retiring from The Bee, Marshall was quickly recruited by Fresno State, where he served as general manager of The Collegian for 10 years, retiring in September 2023.

“Rich was especially proud of the diversity of The Collegian staff, the excellent work achieved there and the success of its graduates at getting jobs in a tough industry,” Gail Marshall said.

His colleagues shared the following remarks:

“Rich loved working with students. He'd regale them with tales of the Fresno Bee newsroom and pepper them with real-world examples of thorny ethical issues he faced while working there,” said Donald Munro, Collegian faculty advisor and lecturer. “He had a great love for The Collegian and was a fierce proponent of student media, both as a teaching tool and as a way to hold the power structure of the university accountable. I know that a generation of editors and reporters looked up to him for his knowledge, wit, encyclopedic sports knowledge and, most of all, his kindness.”

“Rich was steadfast in his belief in the power of good journalism and in the importance of technical perfection in newspaper writing. His red editing pen was famous in The Collegian newsroom, and the students valued it, even though sometimes wished for less of its ink,” said Betsy Hays, advertising and public relations professor in the Department of Media, Communications and Journalism.

“Rich had a passion for the news and shared this passion with the students who worked for The Collegian. Rich brought this tremendous knowledge and expertise to The Collegian and was a significant resource to the students in their quest for high-standard reporting,” said Kevin Fries, The Collegian finance manager. “He was a great guy with a love of life, an aspiration to help people and a great sense of humor.”

Marshall is survived by his wife of 42 years, Gail; mother-in-law, Shirley Moock Sargent; sister, Carolyn and her husband, Lee Eden of Shannon, Illinois; and brother, James Marshall of Sussex, Wisconsin.

A celebration of Rich's life will be held at 11 a.m. Friday, Nov. 15, at the Second Space Theater, 928 E. Olive Ave., in Fresno. Please RSVP to Hellogail50@gmail.com, as seating is limited.