Former Herald chief Don Doram always approachable, colleagues recall

By Lethbridge Herald on May 24, 2025.

Alexandra Noad
Lethbridge Herald
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Don Doram, the former publisher and general manager for the Lethbridge Herald, Don Doram, passed away in Calgary on May 18, but his legacy can still be felt in the newsroom almost three decades after he retired. 

Doram worked for the Herald nearly 40 years, starting in the mailroom in 1958. He then progressed through the circulation and advertising sales department, eventually moving up the ranks to be assistant manager and later manager in the commercial printing department.

After briefly leaving the Herald in 1973, he returned as the general manager and in 1979 he was appointed publisher of the Calgary Albertan, with which he balanced the duties alongside his general manager responsibilities.

He was named publisher and general manager for the Herald in 1980 after FP Publications sold The Albertan and Herald to Thomson Newspapers.

During his time at the Herald, he oversaw many changes, including expanding to a seven-day paper and changing to a morning paper from an afternoon paper. With the evolution of the internet, the Herald was the first paper to obtain a website, which he was very supportive of.

Doram also was running the paper during the 1995 flood, which he saw the newspaper’s obligation to help people get the best possible information during a time of chaos and destruction.

Despite being at the top of the newspaper chain, Doram will be remembered as being very humble and personal to everyone.

His long-time assistant, Elsie Gray, who knew him long before he became the publisher as their mothers were friends, describes him as a family member and says there was no one she would have rather to have for a boss.

“It was a real blessing I had him as my boss for so many years there; I couldn’t have wished for anybody better.”

Sheri Gallant was a brand-new reporter, who worked for a Calgary newspaper prior to joining the Lethbridge Herald, when she saw the stark difference from her previous publisher to Doram.

“He was such a gentleman and he was so approachable and that (made) a huge difference,” says Gallant.

She remembers a time when the film ripped her camera shutter curtain and it was an expensive repair. Reporters were required to have their own camera at the time, and as a single mother, Gallant was worried about both her job and how she was going to get her camera repaired. 

After explaining her situation, Doram told her the Herald will cover the cost of the repair, which she was tremendously grateful for.

“There were things like that I remember because I appreciated that so much,” she says.

Another highlight for Gallant was having the opportunity to go to Ireland to work on a series of stories covering local mediator Liz Iwaskiw, who worked with Irish terrorists. Doram backed the budget to support her on the trip.

Dawn Sugimoto, who worked for the Herald for 20 years, says Doram not only supported her throughout her career, but also cared about her well-being.

She recalls working on a string of stories with young people, not much younger than herself, whose lives were being wracked by injury or illness. On the drive home after interviewing a boy who was granted a wish from the Make-a-Wish Foundation, Doram made sure to check in with her.

“He genuinely cared about the emotional toll,” she says. “He offered reassurance and shared some war stories from his years in the industry.”

While Doram loved the Herald, he loved the community even more. Sugimoto says he wasn’t community minded because of his job; he loved the community because he was a member of it.

Bill Whitelaw got first-hand experience of Doram’s love for Lethbridge when he first arrived from Ontario and was given a tour of the community before taking over as managing editor.

“The thing I remember most about that afternoon is how much he love the community that his newspaper served,” says Whitelaw. 

After seeing Doram’s love for his community, Whitelaw made up his mind that he was going to work for the man no matter what it took. He later became publisher himself.

“I was fortunate to eventually evolve into that role over time and I tried to model myself and my own style of leadership in the community; I had the best role model ever, Don Doram.”