| Former Afro-American President Dies |
|
John J. Oliver Sr., former president and chief operating officer
of the Afro-American Newspapers, died June 30. He was 87. Oliver joined the family business, founded by his grandfather, in 1935 after graduating from DePauw University in Indiana. Mr. Oliver found his calling amid the clatter of type-setting machines and rumble of presses, family members and associates said. "He provided a lot of insightful inspiration, and he helped me establish goals," said John J. "Jake" Oliver Jr., Oliver’s son and the newspapers’ current publisher and board chairman. "When I became chairman, he was a good sounding board on how they did it in the old days and how to maintain the best possible relationships with the people who work for you and with you," Oliver said. In the years leading up to the civil rights movement, the newspapers group published 13 editions a week at its peak, circulation from New Jersey to South Carolina. The papers chronicled discrimination against blacks, as well as sports, social events and other news about black largely ignored by the white media. But starting in the 1970s, the black press began a slow decline as general-interest newspapers began to hire more black reporters and interest in civil rights struggles began to fade. "He was president at a time when the newspaper was undergoing a difficult period, and he performed admirably," said Paul Evans, a former editor. "He dedicated his life to the paper. he was a man of honor and principle, but low-key and unassuming." In addition to his son, Oliver is survived by a daughter Marilyn O. Pickett of Silver Spring, and a grandson. From news reports |