From the New York Times, 17 February 1981:
MONTEREY, Calif., Feb. 16—
Ferdinand Mendenhall, a vice president of The Daily
News of Los Angeles, died of an apparent heart attack here Saturday. He
was 72 years old. Mr. Mendenhall, of Beverly Hills, was in Monterey to
attend the California Newspaper Publishers Association convention.
He was found unconscious in his hotel room.
Mr. Mendenhall, born in Burlington Junction, Miss.,
grew up in the suburban San Fernando Valley. His newspaper recently
changed its name from The Valley News to The Daily News. It is owned by
the Tribune Company of Chicago.
Mr. Mendenhall served as deputy chief of protocol
for California for his friend, Gov. Ronald Reagan. He is survived by his
wife, Doris; three daughters, Doris Anne, Laura Kate and Margo Mia, and
a brother, John, of Seattle, Wash.
