fees from readers. Over time, he purchased other papers in the region and pioneered a series of new subscription tactics including both "controlled circulation" and a gradual shift from free weekly to paid daily papers. In 1977, the California Press Association awarded Lesher with its Publisher of the Year award. In 1983, President Ronald Reagan presented Lesher with the highest award granted by the National Newspaper Association for distinguished leadership. Legacy In 1995, Lesher's heirs sold the papers. The Contra Costa Times was sold to Knight-Ridder for $365 million. The Merced Sun-Star was sold to USMedia Group. Firmly committed to the ideals of community and education, Lesher was known for his generous donations of both time and money. He served on the Board of Governors of the California Community College System, and as a trustee of the California State University System, St. Mary's College, and John F. Kennedy University. His mark should be familiar in the Dean and Kathryn Lesher Library at Merced Junior College, the Dean Lesher Regional Center for the Arts in Walnut Creek, California, and the Margaret Lesher Student Union Building of Diablo Valley College. The Dean & Margaret Lesher Foundation, established in 1989, continues to be administered by Lesher's heirs, and it grants millions of dollars annually for community improvement and educational scholarships. References External links California Newspaper Hall of Fame, Dean Lesher The Dean & Margaret Lesher Foundation Dean Lesher Center for the Arts 1993 deaths American newspaper chain founders 20th-century American newspaper publishers (people) Businesspeople from the San Francisco Bay Area University of Maryland, College Park alumni Harvard Law School alumni People from Concord, California 1903 births Journalists from California 20th-century American philanthropists 20th-century American journalists American male journalists