Chester Paul Middlesworth

Chester Paul Middlesworth, civic leader and longtime general manager of The Record and Landmark, died on April 7 at age 97.

He was born in Shamokin, Pennsylvania on February 21, 1929, the only child of C. E. and Pauline Middlesworth. His family moved to Statesville in 1938 after his father visited the area and bought a local newspaper, the Statesville Daily Record.

His early teenage years were spent in Washington, D.C. where he was a page in the U.S. Senate. As a page, he met Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt, as well as Harry Truman, and was present in the Senate chamber when FDR’s death was announced.

Chester attended Duke University from 1946 to 1949, where he earned a degree in Economics. He graduated as one of seven outstanding students in his class and was inducted into the Red Friars honor society. His father died unexpectedly during these years, setting Chester on a path to return to Statesville to help his mother manage the newspaper.

In 1949, he joined Statesville’s Army Reserve Unit but after a year was recruited into the Air Force. He went to Officer Candidate School in San Antonio and Lubbock, Texas and graduated as a Second Lieutenant, joining the Strategic Air Command in Tucson, Arizona.

While in Tucson, he met his future wife, a medical technician at the Air Force base hospital, on a blind date. He married Maxine in 1952, after promising to take her around the world. Chet and Maxine always enjoyed traveling together, showing a curiosity about the world that later took the form of hosting a number of foreign exchange students and teachers in their home.

They lived in Guam early in their marriage, where Chester supervised the air police at the bomber base. He finished his service after five years in the Air Force as a Captain at U.S. Central Command in Omaha, Nebraska.

Chester and Maxine then moved to Statesville, with Chester resuming work at what had become The Statesville Record and Landmark. In the 1960s and ‘70s, he was the General Manager of the newspaper, but he took on any needed task: selling ads, shooting pictures, and writing editorials. He was a well-known figure among newspaper owners throughout the state and served a year as

president of the NC Press Association.

During these years, Chester and Maxine were also busy raising their three sons: John Paul, Scott, and Mark (along with countless dogs). Their home was known as a scenic and welcoming place and over the years was enjoyed by seven grandchildren: Harris, Lydia, Ryan, Mary, McCoy, Maxine, and Miriam.

In 1977, Roy Park offered to buy The Record and Landmark. The shareholders came to an agreement with Park Communications and sold the newspaper in 1979, whereupon Chester

became the local general manager, and later became the regional coordinator for all the Park newspapers in North Carolina.

Chester was a member of Wesley Memorial United Methodist Church for 70 years, at one point chairing the Administrative Council Committee. He was also a leader in civic activities, serving as Exalted Ruler of the Elks Lodge, President of the Rotary Club, and President of the Statesville Chamber of Commerce. Chester and Maxine organized the Iredell County Foundation, a charity organization.

Chester retired in 1996 and ran for a seat in the NC House of Representatives, but it was a bad year for Democrats in Iredell County, and his ambition went unfulfilled. Nevertheless, his public service continued; he was on the Mitchell Community College Board of Trustees and was appointed to the State Board of Community Colleges in 2005.

Chester and Maxine moved to Brookdale Peachtree Assisted Living in 2018, and the family cherishes the staff’s loving care during their time there. Maxine died in 2020.

His funeral service will begin at 1:00 pm on Saturday, April 11, at Wesley Memorial Methodist Church, 825 Wesley Dr, Statesville. A reception will follow in the church’s Fellowship Hall. Interment will be private.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to Hospice and Palliative Care of Iredell County.

The family is grateful to Troutman Funeral Home for assisting in the arrangements.