Lifelong Rogue Valley resident Debbie Saxbury holds up a copy of the Central Point Times from 1964. Saxbury’s father, former Central Point Mayor William Saxbury, was the first subscriber of the small town paper, and Debbie Saxbury is the Rogue Valley Tribune’s first subscriber.

Before the Rogue Valley Tribune had set up shop in downtown Medford — virtually as soon as news broke that Southern Oregon was getting a new newspaper — Central Point resident Debbie Saxbury took to social media and began firing off emails to people associated with the paper.

Her mission: She wanted to be the Tribune’s first subscriber.

Saxbury has history in this area. Her father, former Central Point Mayor William Saxbury, was subscriber No. 1 for the Central Point Times when it launched Dec. 17, 1964. She wanted to continue the family tradition.

Saxbury said she was devastated when the Medford Mail Tribune abruptly closed Friday, Jan. 13. But she was energized when news broke days later that Oregon-based EO Media Group, a family-owned company that publishes 14 newspapers in Oregon, would launch the Rogue Valley Tribune to continue local news coverage for the region.

One of Saxbury’s posts reached EO Media Group Chief Operating Officer Heidi Wright.

“I sent her a message and said how happy I was they were coming here and that I would support what they were doing,” Saxbury said. “I told her how my dad had been the first subscriber when we had a new paper come to town back when I was still just a kid.”

Saxbury shared an old, yellowed news clipping with Wright that included a photo of her father getting a certificate acknowledging his status as subscriber No. 1.

“I think I was about 7 when that paper started, and I remember my dad … always coming home and telling stories, talking about the paper starting up, and it was just such a big deal for our little town to have our own newspaper,” she added.

Wright said having Saxbury reach out to pledge her support was a heartwarming reminder of the reasons behind the push to provide reliable news for communities around the state.

“She sent me the whole story of her dad being the first subscriber for that local paper, and I can’t express how much that affirmed what I was sensing from the community from the get-go,” Wright said.

“Having Debbie reach out was such a positive assurance that this is going to work and make sense and be of value.”

Mayor Saxbury got his subscription for $1 back in 1964, so Wright decided to give Debbie Saxbury the same deal for being RV Trib’s first subscriber and looks forward to presenting Debbie with a “First Subscriber” certificate.

Saxbury made a trip to the Southern Oregon Historical Society library last week to retrieve the news clipping of her father. It was pure coincidence that the library is inside the historic JC Penney building, where the Rogue Valley Tribune will first make its home.

The Rogue Valley Tribune’s website, rvtrib.com, is scheduled to go live Feb. 6. The paper will publish a printed edition three times a week — on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays — starting later in the month. The papers will be printed in Klamath Falls and mailed to subscribers.

“When the Mail Tribune went down, it was devastating,” Saxbury said. “I started looking at what other newspapers were doing that this happened to, and I always had said, “These guys need to look at the Bend Bulletin and what they had done to make it work.”

The Bulletin is one of the papers published by EO Media Group. Others include The Astorian, the Baker City Herald, Blue Mountain Eagle, East Oregonian, Capital Press and Hermiston Herald.

“This is so important for our community,” Saxton said. “And it was important for me to make sure I was first on board, showing my support.”

Reach reporter Buffy Pollock at bpollock@rvtrib.com. Follow her on Twitter @orwritergal.