News Release

SOUTH BEND — Longtime Schurz Communications leader Franklin Dunn Schurz, Jr. passed away peacefully in his sleep at the age of 94. A resident of Bozeman, Mont., Schurz, Jr. was born in South Bend on May 22, 1931.

Franlin Schurz, Jr.

Throughout his career, he held numerous leadership roles within the organization, including Chief Executive Officer from 1982 to 2007, and various positions within Schurz’s newspapers, television, and radio divisions. Among these was a role at WSBT Radio, where he also contributed on-air. But his very first job with the family business was as a paperboy for the South Bend Tribune, and he went on to serve as its publisher before ultimately becoming CEO.

He served on many local boards and councils, including the Culver Educational Foundation Board, the Board of Regents of St. Mary’s College, the Advisory Council for the College of Arts and Letters at Notre Dame University, the South Bend-Mishawaka Area Chamber of Commerce, the Advisory Board for Indiana University South Bend, the Indiana Chapter of The Nature Conservancy, and the United Way of St. Joseph County. He also took on leadership roles in numerous other industry, educational, and conservation boards and clubs.

Schurz, Jr. was recognized with numerous honors, including the NAB Chuck Sherman Award, the Casey Award from the University of Minnesota, the AWRT Achievement Award from the American Women in Radio and Television, the Frank Rogers Award from the Rotary Club of South Bend, the Presidential Award of Merit from the National Newspaper Association, the Lifetime Achievement Silver Award from the Michiana Ad Club, and the 2014 Indiana Broadcasters Association Lifetime Achievement Award.

He was a graduate of Culver Military Academy in Culver, and earned both a BA and MBA from Harvard University. He also received an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Indiana University in 2015. While at Harvard, Schurz, Jr. served in the United States Army Reserve, holding the rank of Captain in the Artillery.

Founded in 1872, Schurz Communications has remained under the leadership of the Schurz family for over 60 years, though it has not managed any media outlets in the South Bend area since the sale of its radio and TV properties to Gray Media and Gatehouse Media in 2015 and 2019, respectively. At present, its operations mainly revolve around broadband and cloud.

Schurz, Jr. was preceded in death by his parents, Franklin Sr. and Martha Schurz, as well as his siblings, Jim, Scott Sr., and Mary Schurz. He is survived by seven nephews and one niece.