Wendell "Del" Whitaker Harding Jr.

Mr. Harding, a resident of Fort Collins, Colo., retired in 1994 after serving as chief of the public information office at NASA's Ames Research Center at Moffett Field, Calif. He previously held similar positions with the U.S. Bureau of Land Management in Billings, Mont., and with the U.S. Forest Service in Custer, S.D. Mr. Harding was a reporter for the Fremont, Nebr., Tribune; Lincoln Star; and the Denver Rocky Mountain News. He headed the public information department of Jefferson County Colo., Public Schools before starting his career as a government public affairs officer. He was honored for "distinguished reporting of public affairs" by the American Political Science Assn. while with the Rocky Mountain News, and received

11 national writing and publications awards while working for the Jefferson County Public Schools. While working for the Lincoln Star he was a finalist for a 1959 Pulitzer Prize for his coverage of the Starkweather murders.

During retirement years he and his wife traveled extensively, visiting some two dozen countries, including his favorite, Morocco. After retirement he and his wife lived in Ouray, Colo., St. George, Utah, and Windsor, Colo., before moving to Fort Collins.

Born in Lincoln on Oct. 18, 1932, to Wendell and Margaret Sias Harding, He was a graduate of Lincoln High School in 1950 and the University of Nebraska in 1954. He married Shirley J. Cletcher on Feb. 3, 1961, in the First Christian Church in Lincoln. Mr. Harding had served as an officer of both the Colorado and Montana chapters of the Society of Professional Journalists. He also served two terms as a vice president of the National School Public Relations Assn. from 1971-74. He was a life member of the University of Nebraska Alumni Assn. and served seven years as a “weekend warrior” in the U.S. Naval Air Reserve.

Survivors include his wife, Shirley; two daughters, Kristine Gottula of Lincoln and Michele (Joseph) Scherger of Fort Collins.; son, Mark J. Harding of Santa Barbara, Calif.; four grandchildren, Dr. Sias (Rubab) Scherger of Omaha.; Adria (Andrew) Biehl of Omaha; Aensley Scherger of Fort Collins, and Lanae (Joseph) Bartolomei of Omaha; seven great grandchildren, Caleb, Aria, Jack, Noah, Rina, Nikolas, Gia and a great grandson due in a few weeks; and his sister, Sonya Cundall of Loveland, Colo.

There will be private services at a later time. Donations may be made to OAR (Organization for Autism Research or to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital.