Three former editors of a regional daily have joined in tribute to a journalist-turned-managing director who has died aged 78.

David Kelly, left, initially joined the Northern Echo as features editor in 1976 but after a stint as depity editor he was appointed managing director of parent company Newsquest North East in 1995.

Among the editors he subsequently appointed was Peter Barron, who went on to become the longest-serving editor in the Darlington-based title’s long history.

Peter, together with fellow former Echo editors Allan Prosser and Peter Sands, was among those who paid tribute to David following his death on Tuesday.

Said Peter: “David will be remembered for his passion for campaigning journalism and the newspaper businesses that he looked after during his time with Westminster Press and then Newsquest.

“He cared especially deeply about The Northern Echo, and the Darlington & Stockton Times, and all the people who worked for those historic titles.

“I started working with David when I joined The Northern Echo as a young reporter in 1984, and he was deputy editor.

“As managing director, it was him who appointed me as editor of The Northern Echo in 1999.  I’ll be forever grateful to him for making my dream come true, and all the guidance and care he gave so generously along the way.”

Allan, editor of the Echo from 1982 to 1990 added: “David Kelly was throughout his career a man of impeccable journalistic principle and one of the few to accomplish the move from the newsroom floor to the managing director’s chair without a false step.

“He was a tireless worker with an innovative mind who always sought to achieve the best results for readers and advertisers and colleagues with the resources he had available.

“I worked with him closely for more than a decade and regarded him both as an indefatigable ally, and a man of honour. He was also a good friend whose sound advice and insight will be very much missed.”

And Peter, who edited the title until 1993, added: “David was certainly a one-off. There was no one more passionate, committed or loyal to The Northern Echo than he was.”

David began his career as a reporter on the Middlesex Chronicle, moving to the Swindon Evening Advertiser before joining the Echo as features editor in 1976.

He retired aged 60 in 2006 after more than a decade as MD, moving to rural Teesdale where he became clerk to Mickleton Parish Council.

Newsquest’s current regional MD David Coates said: “I know how widely liked and respected David was among our team, and all our thoughts are with our colleague Jo, David’s daughter, and the rest of David’s family.”

And Malcolm Warne, former editor of the Darlington & Stockton Times, said: “A brilliant journalist and then a highly effective and compassionate manager, he was always a champion for the readers of the newspapers produced in Priestgate and a firm believer that those newspapers should be champions of the disparate communities they served.”

Legendary columnist Mike Amos, who worked at the Echo for more than 40 years, added: “David Kelly was a first-class journalist, a senior manager who never forgot that he’d been one of the troops and a caring and compassionate human being.

“We were colleagues for 30 years, friends for 50. He was a stylish and accomplished features editor, more patient with the youthful John North columnist than probably that gentleman deserved, before rising to become managing director at a time when the perceived golden age of provincial newspapers was ending.

“Far more than we’re ever likely to know, he appeared to handle a multiplicity of challenges with dexterity, diligence and consideration for many others.

“Over many years he battled a hideous range of afflictions with courage and resilience. When last I saw him a few weeks back he was still good company, still a good host, still keen to know all that was happening in his former world. He was a great man.”