by Wiley Henry
Special to The New Tri-State Defender
The name Linda Taylor Sengstacke was synonymous with the Black Press in the 1970s and ’80s. She was the editor-in-chief of the Tri-State Defender during that time and followed the tradition of attacking issues head-on without fear or favor, an approach to journalism that was encouraged by her uncle-in-law, Mr. John H. Sengstacke, who founded the Defender in 1951.
Mrs. Sengstacke was married to Mr. Sengstacke’s nephew, Herman Fredrick Sengstacke. On Sept. 9, she died peacefully at their home in Bristol, Penn. She was 67.
Mrs. Sengstacke’s contributions to the newspaper’s growth can be found in the Defender’s archives and remembered by the people who knew her well.
“She was fearless,” said her sister-in-law Ethel Sengstacke, who once worked at the Defender as a photographer. “She researched her stories and was fair and balanced. She sought the truth.”
Judy Seals Togbo, who was the advertising manager for the newspaper, said Mrs. Sengstacke was a hard worker who took her work seriously.
“She was smart and investigated each story to get to the truth,” Togbo said.
Funeral arrangements are incomplete.
