Craig L. Basse

Craig L. Basse, 77, of St. Petersburg, FL, died Tuesday, April 15, 2008 at St. Anthony's Hospital. He was born in Memphis, TN and moved here in 1976 from Miami, FL where he was radio news editor for the Associated Press. He was a graduate of the University Of Arkansas with a Bachelor's Degree in Journalism and was the editor of the college newspaper. He was an editor at the St. Petersburg Times for 31 years where he was the recipient of the Silver Key Award. During the Korean War, he served with the Armed Forces Press Services in New York City and in the press office of the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe in Paris. He worked for the Arkansas Gazette and the Shreveport, LA Journal. He later worked as a news writer and editor for the Associated Press in Little Rock, AR and Oklahoma City, OK. He joined the St. Petersburg Times as a rewrite editor then became City Editor, Metro Editor, and Obituaries Editor. He is survived by his wife of 24 years, Joyce; 3 daughters, Elizabeth Hooper of Seattle, WA, Stephanie Basse of Valrico, FL, Melissa (Saeid) Ajabshir of St. Petersburg; 1 son, Michael C. (Lara) Hallock of Mooresville, NC; and 8 grandchildren. Services will be private. The family requests memorials to: Committee To Protect Journalists 330-7th Avenue 11th Floor New York, NY 10001 or do a kind deed for someone you care about. $(document).ready(function(){ });