Barney Oldfield, 93; Aide to Gen. Eisenhower and Hollywood Publicist
Barney Oldfield, 93, a retired Air Force colonel who was a publicist and press agent for stars such as Errol Flynn, Ronald Reagan and Elizabeth Taylor, died Saturday at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.
Friends said Oldfield had been in failing health with cirrhosis of the liver brought on by diabetes.
Born in Tecumseh, Neb., Oldfield graduated from the University of Nebraska. He was a newspaper reporter and was a press aide to Allied commander Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower during World War II.
After the war, he went to Hollywood, where he worked as a publicist for Warner Bros. and as a press agent.
He later spent three decades in corporate public relations, most notably for L.A.-based Litton Industries. Oldfield was also an active philanthropist, funding some 40 scholarship programs totaling about $3 million.
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