Publisher Pushed for Growth of Valley

When he proudly wore his U.S. Navy uniform to formal gatherings, Ferdinand Mendenhall was often addressed as “Captain.”

But Mendenhall, a Navy reservist who fought in World War II, commanded more attention as a newspaper publisher heavily involved in community groups, promoting a pro-business, pro-growth philosophy for the San Fernando Valley.

“In those days, if you were going to start something, you had better call Ferd and make him part of it,” said David Fleming, a Studio City lawyer.

Mendenhall was born in Mississippi in 1908, but grew up in the Valley. His father, Walter, bought a half-interest in the Van Nuys News in 1920 and Ferdinand succeeded him as editor and co-owner in 1946.

Mendenhall, a Republican who was California’s deputy chief of protocol for then-Gov. Ronald Reagan, turned the paper into the Valley News and Green Sheet. He would sell it to the Tribune Co. of Chicago in 1973 and remain as vice president. Shortly before he died of a heart attack in 1981, it was renamed the Daily News of the San Fernando Valley.

He was involved in the Los Angeles Planning Commission and the Metropolitan Water District and served on the board of the San Fernando Valley Industrial Assn., which later became the Valley Industry and Commerce Assn. He also co-founded Valley Presbyterian Hospital.

But it was at McHenry’s Tail o’ the Cock on Ventura Boulevard that Mendenhall and a handful of other Valley leaders hatched the idea for the Fernando Award, said Fleming, a 1991 award recipient. First presented in 1958, the award recognizes someone who has given a lifetime of service to the San Fernando Valley. Mendenhall won the award in 1962.