Alfred Shire Papers

Alfred Price Shire Sr. was born April 2, 1923 in Paris, Kentucky to parents William Shire and Ruth Rosenbaum. He attended college at the University of Kentucky where he earned a bachelor's degree in journalism. After completing his degree, he then went on to serve as an infantryman in the United States Army during World War II. After World War II Al Shire got a job working as a journalist at the Texas City Sun. A few years into his employment at the Texas City Sun Al Shire began submitting stories to the Houston Post which eventually lead to The Houston Post offering him an editorial position. Once at the Houston Post he moved from makeup editor to assistant news editor. Then concerned by how the news was covering the Vietnam War Al Shire applied for and won a fellowship to attend the University of Texas to take graduate level courses in Asian Studies. Once his studies were completed he returned to the Houston Post and along with Oveta Culp Hobby and her son Bill Hobby created for the Post a Sunday magazine called Tempo. The magazine was discontinued after three years and Al Shire moved on to become editor to Spotlight the Post’s weekly entertainment magazine. A few years later at age 66 Al Shire decided to retire along with his wife Nora Krisch Shire who had also worked as a Houston Post writer. Alfred Price Shire Sr died September 7, 2017 in Houston, TX.