HYDE PARK — Bruce Sagan, a Hyde Parker who counted among his many achievements a presidential recognition, the relocation of a prestigious ballet company to Chicago and seven decades at the helm of his neighborhood newspaper, died Sunday following a brief battle with cancer.

Sagan, 96, was a longtime newspaperman, arts patron and “renaissance man” instantly recognizable by his bowtie and cardigan, loved ones said.

He rescued local newspaper the Hyde Park Herald from a seemingly certain demise in 1953, and shaped it into a paper with a penchant for detail, an activist bent and a dedication to the unique community it served. Five years later, he purchased the Southtown Economist, which grew into a chain with 28 publications at its peak.

Sagan was also a mainstay in local performing and fi

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