Lee Cawood Townsend Sr.

07/16/2006

Lee Cawood Townsend Sr., 73, a retired print and television journalist who served 14 years as news editor of the CBS Evening News under Walter Cronkite and Dan Rather, died of liver disease at DeWitt Nursing Home in New York City on Sunday. He was a resident of New York City and Sheffield. Born in Queens, N.Y., on Feb. 28, 1933, son of Gail and Grace Roach Townsend, he spend most of his childhood in Northport, Long Island, N.Y., and later moved with his mother and stepfather to the Bushwick section of Brooklyn. He was editor of the Bushwick High School newspaper and received his college degree in 1955 from Columbia University, where he was editor-in-chief of the Columbia Daily Spectator. Mr. Townsend was news editor during Walter Cronkite's last four years as anchor and Dan Rather's first 10 years. In his 24 years at CBS News, Mr. Townsend also served as night news manager, national editor and executive producer of the CBS Morning News. His print career started with the now-defunct Long Island Star-Journal in Queens. He then became a reporter, rewrite man and assistant city editor of the now defunct New York World-Telegram and Sun. That paper merged with the New York Herald-Tribune and New York Journal-American to form the New York World-Journal-Tribune. He was named city editor of that paper, which folded in 1967, less than a year after it started. He leaves his wife, Brooke Janis; three sons, Laird Townsend, Lee Townsend Jr. and Blaine Townsend, all of California, and three grandchildren. FUNERAL NOTICE -- A memorial service for Lee C. Townsend Sr., who died Sunday, July 16, 2006, in New York City, will be held Thursday, July 20, at 10 a.m. at St. Jean Baptiste Church, 76th Street and Lexington Avenue, New York, NY 10021; (212) 288-5082. Private burial will be in St. Peter's Cemetery, Great Barrington. KRTIL FUNERAL HOME INC. in New York City is in charge of arrangements. Mr. Townsend also leaves two nieces and a sister-in-law.

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