CHRIS WHITE WALKER & ASHLEY WALKER

For 114 years, Kansas' historic Emporia Gazette, one of the country's most respected newspapers, has been owned and operated by one family. Today, Chris White Walker and his wife, Ashley, are the 4th generation to run the newspaper founded in 1896 by Chris's great grandfather William Allen White, a legendary newspaperman and Pulitzer Prize-winning writer. For most of the family's many years at the helm, the paper's offices have been located on Highway 50, right in the heart of Emporia. And while once there were six local newspapers in Emporia, today the Gazette is the only daily paper left in town.

Newspapers across the country are facing increasing difficulties, but Chris and Ashley are doing everything in their power to keep their paper alive and continue the legacy of William Allen White. There have been cutbacks; the Walkers have been forced to trim staff and, after printing their paper every day without fail for 114 years – even through tornados and power outages - they are shutting down their in-house printing press. But there have also been new developments designed to keep the paper relevant and thriving. The paper is now available and updated online, offers a free weekly version focusing on local entertainment, and publishes a monthly Spanish edition to serve the area's growing Spanish-speaking population.

These days Chris and Ashley's three kids can be found running around the newsroom, and their parents hope that continues to be true; they dream of one day, years from now, passing on the paper to Grace, Hattie and Will. Though aware of the challenges they face in meeting this goal, the Walkers are optimistic. As Chris says, "Whether people read their news on newsprint or blackberries, telling the stories of the community is what its about. Newspapers will survive."

With that positive spirit and a willingness to embrace change, there is every possibility that Chris is right – and that one day a 5th generation of American Characters will be at the helm of the historic Emporia Gazette.