Edward S. Shipper ’48

Edward S. Shipper ’48 died January 13, 2014, at Little Rock Hospice Home Care in Little Rock, Arkansas. Ed graduated from Coffee High School in Florence, Arkansas, and matriculated at Dartmouth, where at something under 170 pounds he lettered in football as a guard, was a member of Storrs House/Delta Kappa Epsilon and graduated Phi Beta Kappa. After his sophomore year he left to join the Navy and served as a petty officer, third class, and spent time stationed on Guam before returning to Dartmouth. After graduation he returned to Florence and worked in his family’s cotton brokerage business, where he traveled internationally. In 1966 he founded the Shoals Picture newspaper with his former wife, Cheri, and served as a publisher. He later moved to Nashville, Arkansas, and then to Little Rock after marrying his wife, Norma. Admired for his sense of humor, Ed had the ability to laugh at himself and find humor even in the most mundane tasks. He never met a stranger he didn’t like and often joked the he “talked a lot, but had nothing to say.” He also loved to wear funny hats. Outside of Norma, some of his greatest joys were reading the Sunday New York Times and working its crossword puzzle, visiting the Purple Cow in Little Rock, patronizing local farmer markets and hanging out at the local bookstore. A self-professed bibliophile, he took great pleasure in his personal collection of history books. He enjoyed discussing world affairs and had a particular fascination with China. Ed is survived by Norma, brother Stanley, sister-in-law Jane, five children, 10 grandchildren, three great-grandchildren and three stepgrandchildren.