Darell Phillips

Business

Darell Phillips devoted more than three decades to chronicling Manteca through various newspapers.

Phillips attended elementary school in Manteca briefly in 1945 and returned in 1952 to attend and graduate from Manteca High in 1955. He graduated from Pepperdine University in 1959 and played professional baseball for a short time with minor league farm teams.

Phillips was the news editor of the Manteca Bulletin from 1959 to 1965 under publisher George Murphy, his future father-in-law at that time.

He went to work in 1965 as the Modesto Bee sports editor and returned to the community in 1977 to help Antone Raymus start the Manteca News. In 1979, Phillips rejoined the Manteca Bulletin to start an 18-year stint as publisher.

Phillips worked for a time with his wife, Patsy, at the Bulletin. Four of their six children are either involved in newspapers or related publications.

Phillips served as president of the California Newspaper Publishers Association in 1993 and served on the San Joaquin County Fair Board.

A scholar-athlete award for Manteca area high school graduating seniors was established in his honor by the Manteca Bulletin.