Vernon Earl Bradford

Bradford was a proud veteran, award-winning Florida journalist, state public information officer and a retired official of the Florida Department of Corrections.

He was born in Council Bluffs, Iowa to the late Ivan and Hazel Bradford, but moved to and continued to live in Florida since 1942. Bradford started his career at the Council Bluffs Nonpareil while in high school and upon graduation accepted a summer school scholarship to the Northwestern University School of Journalism. Later he attended Southwestern Louisiana Institute in Lafayette, La.

He joined the military in 1942 where he proudly served in England, France and Germany with the Army Air Corp during World War II as a radio operator/mechanic in the 425th Night Fighter “Black Widow” Squadron. His squadron operated off the southern coast of England during the D-Day battles routing Nazi soldiers from the coast of France. He was a life member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars.

Following military service, Bradford returned to Southwestern and then transferred to the University of Missouri School of Journalism.

After those studies, he began work for the Tampa Times and the Tampa Tribune and was chief of the Tribune’s Capital News Bureau in Tallahassee for ten years. He won the Associated Press spot news story of the year while with the Times and received several additional awards during his years with the two newspapers. He was a member of Sigma Delta Chi, national journalism society and was the chapter president of the Tri-State Chapter of the journalism group while in Tallahassee.

Leaving newspaper work in 1965, he then worked for the State Comptroller, Florida Senate and the Department of Corrections as public information director. While at Corrections, he was promoted to Executive Assistant to then Secretary, Richard Dugger, before retiring in 1993.

Shortly after retirement, Bradford began working as a part-time disaster assistance media employee for the Federal Emergency Management Agency. He was a member of the Florida Public Relations Association and served as state president in 1972.

Bradford split his free time between Tallahassee and his beloved Mexico Beach residence.

Surviving Bradford is his widow, Helen Bree Bradford; four children, Bill Bradford of Quincy, Bob Bradford and wife Cindy of Quincy, Michael Bradford of Hull, MA and Patricia Bradford Williams of Tallahassee, seven grandchildren and four great grandchildren. He was predeceased by his siblings Evelyn B. Higginbotham, Lorraine B. Wagner and Duane Bradford.

Bradford was a member of the First Christian Church of Tallahassee.

Visitation will be at the Culley’s Meadowwood Funeral Home on Timberlane Road, Tallahassee from 6:00-8:00pm Sunday, October 25th, with a graveside burial at Roselawn Cemetery on Monday, October 26th at 3:30pm.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Wounded Warrior Project.