Max Moxley

Much of this website is dedicated to Max Moxley's (1912-2011) historic photo collection of Sterling, Kansas. Max Moxley was the unoffical town historian and editor of the local paper for many decades.

Before Max graduated from the University of Kansas in 1935. Max was the editor of the University Daily Kansan. He worked for the Abliene Daily Chronicle as a reporter and city editor and in 1940, after marrying Sarah Charlene “Icee” Schiveley (1912-2000), he edited the Delphos Republican Newspaper. At the start of World War II, Max took a job with The Associated Press’ Kansas City Bureau, where he eventually became editor.  He downplayed his career on the top floor of the Kansas City Star, but admitted it was a fascinating time in history to be filing wire copy. Ten bells sounded news flashes of D-Day and the death of President Roosevelt and Max was on hand to receive a first glimpse of Joe Rosenthal’s iconic photo of our soldiers raising the flag on Iwo Jima. He also had the honor of covering General Dwight Eisenhower’s return to Kansas shortly after V-E Day.

Max and Icee opted to return to country journalism at the close of the war and they purchased the Sterling Bulletin. Since 1891, the Bulletin has been identified as “The Old Home Paper”. For 30 years, Max wrote a weekly column as “The Old Home Editor”, and then for another 10 years as “The Old Home Ex-Editor”.

After, Moxley sold the Bulletin to Karl Gaston in 1975 and Sarah Moxley remained with the firm as office manager until 1993, completing a total of 49 years of service to the Bulletin.

While retired, Moxley assumed various duties, including serving as assistant at the local library. Max became active in the Sterling Community, serving as president of the Sterling Chamber of Commerce on two different occasions. He also served on three building committees for Sterling College and was a member of Sterling Rotary for 58 years. And of couse all during this time, Max shared his extensive collection of historic photographs of early Sterling in his weekly feature “Images of the Past.”

(Excerpts from the obuitary by Amy Bickel on Feburary 27, 2011 for the Hutchinson News)