From the Boston Globe:

Mr. Walter, of Edgartown, the former editor and publisher of the Vineyard Gazette, died Thursday at Mercy Hospital in Springfield from complications after surgery for a facial nerve disorder. He was 61. ...

Mr. Walter was one of the founding editors of USA Today, where he became the senior editor responsible for cover stories and enterprise, his wife said.

"He was one of the most dynamic editors," said Richard Curtis, managing editor of design at USA Today and another founding editor of the paper. "He was infused with energy. He was dedicated to the paper and his family as well. I am devastated by his death."