The Payson Chronicle

PHS Class of 1943

Clark C. Bigler was born September 4, 1925 in Payson, Utah to David and Hannah Pearl Butterfield Bigler. He grew up in Payson and attended Payson schools. At the age of 12 he began working as a printer's helper at The Payson Chronicle. He was a sports reporter at age 13, covering Utah County sports. At the same age, he was also the regular scorekeeper for the Payson Lions baseball team of the Central Utah League, and was believed to be the youngest official baseball scorer in the state. He married Mary Jean Midge Bjarnson on January 19, 1952.

Clark served in the US Army during World War II. He was wounded in France and received a Purple Heart. Following the war, he attended Brigham Young University and then graduated from the University of Missouri with a degree in journalism. He worked for the Salt Lake Tribune for a time and in 1952 he and Midge moved to Reno, Nevada where he was employed by United Press International as the Nevada Bureau manager. Several years later, he left UPI to start his own news agency in Reno called Bigler News Service, contributing articles to major newspapers in Nevada and northern California. As a highly respected journalist, he also served a term as president of the Reno Press Club.

In 1972 he and his family returned to Payson and purchased The Payson Chronicle. This had been a life-long dream of his. While he was the editor and publisher of the newspaper, it was honored with the General Excellence award for weekly newspapers by the Utah State Press Association. He was also presented the Robert E. Campbell award for “extraordinary enterprise, responsibility, skill and fairness in reporting education and community issues” by the Utah Education Association. In 1933, Clark’s parents started the Bigler Scholarship Award for PHS student-athletes who display exemplary athletic leadership. Clark spent many years giving out this award each spring. The Bigler family continues to award this scholarship today, making it the longest-running scholarship program at Payson High School.

Inducted 2021