Reg Murphy, a renowned journalist whose news-gathering career included stints as editor and managing director at newspapers in Atlanta, San Francisco and Baltimore — and who made national headlines when he survived a politically motivated kidnapping — has died at age for 90 years.

Murphy, who lived on the island of St. Simons, Georgia, died on November 9.

John Reginald “Reg” Murphy was a Georgia native who early in his career covered state politics for the Macon Telegraph. He then worked as a reporter and editor at The Atlanta Constitution in the midst of the civil rights movement. Murphy became editor and publisher of the San Francisco Examiner in 1975, then went on to work as an editor at the Baltimore Sun.

As an editor, Murphy was inspirational, said Art Harris, a reporter at The Constitution who later followed Murphy to San Francisco, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. “That was his magic. He inspired people by building them. He was a gentleman and a gentle persuader. I never heard him raise his voice. Not everyone liked his decisions, but he didn’t let that deter him from making them.”

Murphy later held leadership positions at the National Geographic Society, where he helped usher in new media technologies, expanding the global reach and impact of its print and video platforms.

His career as a reporter took him around the globe, including Russia, China, Japan and the Middle East, Mercer University noted in a 2023 article about Murphy, who attended classes there in the 1950s. In the U.S., Murphy emphasized the importance journalism for the health of the country and communities.

“In my mind, journalism is sacred,” he said in an interview last year with Mercer University. “It’s a sacred trust to tell the truth and try to give people enough freedom to find the truth and then pursue it.”

During his time as an editorial page editor at the Atlanta Constitution, Murphy became the focus of a gripping story in 1974 when he was kidnapped and held for a $700,000 ransom. The kidnapper claimed to be part of a militia group that wants to stop “lying left-wing newspapers.”

Two days later, Murphy was released in a motel parking lot after the ransom was paid. A few hours after his release, his kidnapper was arrested at his home and the money was recovered. The man was later convicted and sentenced to 40 years in prison, but eventually served nine.

Murphy went on to a long and successful career in journalism. Years later, Murphy gave a first-hand account of that harrowing experience in Golf Digest. It started when a man who claimed he needed help donating 300,000 liters of heating oil convinced Murphy to go with him to his lawyer’s office to sign papers. Murphy recounted what happened once he became suspicious.

“He was driving with his right hand, and with his left he propped a gun over his forearm, looked over and said, ‘Mr. Murphy, you’ve been kidnapped,’ Murphy wrote. “He threw a roll of white duct tape on my lap and told me to cover my eyes. With the gun pointed at me, I did as I was told and applied three strips from temple to temple.”

A few minutes later, the car stopped and the kidnapper used rope to tie her wrists behind her back and then her ankles, Murphy wrote. Still blindfolded, Murphy was told to get into the truck.

“When I was in the trunk, he tied my wrists to my ankles behind me so that my body formed an inverted C,” he wrote. “It was very uncomfortable for my back. The trunk was shallow — if I moved my head up even a few inches, it hit the roof. I was breathing fast, but I was also trying to control my breathing, trying not to panic.”

They drove for hours until he was driven into a building, Murphy said. Before being pushed between the bed and the wall, he was allowed to speak on the phone to another editor at The Constitution, informing him that he had been kidnapped. It made national news, coming shortly after Patty Hearst, the granddaughter of publishing magnate William Randolph Hearst, was kidnapped by a far-left militant group.

Murphy said he lost 10 pounds (4.5 kilograms) during the ordeal and suffered claustrophobia from the hours spent in the trunk. During his captivity, he replayed in his mind the rounds of golf he shot.

Two months later, Murphy said he was on a golf course at a charity event. On nearly every hole, spectators in the gallery asked for his autograph or to pose for a photo, he recalled. His passion for golf provided a therapeutic release from the kidnapping, his obituary said.

Murphy became an active volunteer for the sport’s governing body, the United States Golf Association, and served as president in 1994 and 1995.

“Like many USGA presidents before him, Reg has since given his time and expertise to help make the game of golf even better,” said USGA CEO Mike Whan. “The USGA and the people who play and love the game of golf are better off because of Reg’s commitment, passion and leadership.”

Murphy was the son of Mae and John Lee Murphy, a teacher and store owner. He remained a strong supporter of Mercer, describing the school as “a place where I learned something about the who, what, where, why and how of journalism.” He served five terms on Mercer’s Board of Trustees, his obituary said. Mercer honored his achievements by renaming the Center for Collaborative Journalism the Reg Murphy Center for Collaborative Journalism.