Walter Stewart spent years teaching journalism at the University of Northern Colorado and encouraging his students to work at small-town papers. And that enthusiasm for the community press went well beyond education.

"There's actually a printing press out in the garage. He got it from the Briggsdale paper when they closed it," said his stepson, Chuck Ballou, referring to the small Colorado town northeast of Greeley.

"They were wondering what to do with it, and Dad appeared and said he'd take it." It wasn't the first time Mr. Stewart, 86, who died Feb. 13 from cancer, helped preserve state journalism history.

He and his wife, Elma, spent one summer driving the state to photograph the exterior of every community paper. Those images and his research on Colorado journalists became what he called the Journalism Center.

The archive started at the university and later moved to the basement of his Greeley home.

Not all of it is in his basement: Some documents were donated to the school's Michener Library. But there's still a lot left.

"He was a pack rat," his stepson admitted with a laugh. "We're going to go through it and decide what to keep and what to try and donate."

Mr. Stewart was born Oct. 20, 1920, in Flat River, Mo.

He studied journalism at the University of Missouri though there was no journalism major at MU then.

He volunteered for the Army Air Corps in 1942 and served 39 months during World War II. He processed aerial photographs to determine where to drop bombs and how successful the attacks were. That gave him a love for photography, which he later shared with his UNC classes.

"I remember students from the school coming over often to use the darkroom at our house," said his stepson.

After the war, he worked for a short time at a local newspaper and even co-owned a paper in Farmington, Mo. But soon it was back to school, where he earned a bachelor of science degree in education, a bachelor of arts, and a masters degree and Ph.D. in journalism. After teaching at several colleges, in 1968 he and his wife moved to Greeley so he could teach journalism at what was then Colorado State College.

Over the next 16 years Mr. Stewart assisted the late Bill Hartman in establishing a journalism program, including classes in community journalism and an intern program that combined classes and work at a newspaper, radio station or public relations firm.

"When I was in college, I was not the most dedicated student," said Matt Lubich, a former student and now the editor of The Johnstown Breeze, southeast of Loveland. "And when I discovered the paper at school (the UNC Mirror) I did think 'Why do I have to go to class and hear people talk about this stuff when I can just go do it?'

"But I always made sure that I made it to his classes. He was very soft-spoken, but he was able to convey just how exciting this business was. Just how important this journalism is . . . how you're not just writing a story, but you're chronicling a time, a community."

That dedication to students never stopped, as illustrated by Samuel G. Mustari, a Greeley Tribune sportswriter who studied under Mr. Stewart.

"I had just graduated in 1977 and I had a job at the Brighton Blade, but I was still living in Greeley. One day my car broke down and . . . so there I am out hitchhiking down Highway 85 when this car pulls over.

"And it's (Mr. Stewart). Man, you talk about me being embarrassed when I realize it's him. But he was great, just said 'C'mon, get in.' Turns out he was on his way to do some research in Broomfield and he drove me right to work. I think he was just excited I was going to work somewhere."

Services were held Feb. 20 in Greeley. Mr. Stewart's wife preceded him in death. In addition to his stepson, survivors include a sister, Anne Spitzmiller, of Tulsa, Okla.; a brother, Monroe "Bud" Stewart, of Monroe, La.; numerous nieces and nephews; and two step-grandchildren.

rassenfossj@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-954-5410