The University of Iowa Eight Over 80 Award

After 39 years of teaching music, Karen Spurgeon embarked on a second career as an award-winning newspaper editor and publisher. However, she still finds time to perform and direct music and to support fine arts and community organizations.

Spurgeon earned a bachelor's degree in music from the University of Iowa in 1964 and a master's degree in music education from Northeast Missouri State University in 1975. She began her first career in 1965 as Davis County Schools' general music and middle school choral music teacher.

After retiring in 2004, she worked as a substitute teacher and assisted at The Bloomfield Democrat, an independent newspaper she and her husband, Gary (64BA), owned. Following his death in 2013, Spurgeon worked with her son to keep their newspaper—the only one in Davis County—in operation.

She has excelled in her roles as the Democrat's publisher and editor. Among her many honors includes the 2023 Iowa Newspaper Association (INA) Master Editor Publisher Award. She also has made a profound impact on community news throughout the state, thanks to her work as a member—and then president—of the INA board.

Spurgeon enjoys performing as a church choir director, a pianist and organist, and a municipal band saxophonist. She also is a board member for the Davis County Fine Arts Council and the Spectrum Center for the Arts, and she is a committee member for Bloomfield Main Street and Davis County Tourism.

In 2014, Spurgeon received the Iowan of the Day Award at the Iowa State Fair, in recognition of her numerous volunteer contributions. As an arts patron, musician, and community news reporter, she has provided unwavering community service for 58 years and counting.