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Dr. William Lee, Sacramento Observer Publisher Dies at 83

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Sacramento Observer publisher emeritus Dr. William H. Lee passed away on Sept. 22, 2019. He was 83 years old. He was tireless in the fight for access and respect for Black journalists and relentless in championing for Blacks to have a seat at the proverbial table.

Dr. Lee was born on May 29, 1936, in Austin, Texas. His parents (Rev. Charles R. Lee, father, and Carrie Lee, mother), with sons William and James R. Lee, moved to California, first to San Francisco and then to Sacramento, in the early 1940s. Dr. Lee attended Sacramento State University (1953-1955) and went on to earn a B.A. degree in accounting from UC Berkeley in 1957. He was awarded an Honorary Ph.D. from Southeastern University in 1970.

After graduating from UC Berkeley, Lee had short, but fruitful, employment stints with both Aerojet and IBM Corporations. His dream to establish his own firm, however, led him to open his own real estate and land development company in 1960. The success he had in real estate allowed him to invest in the much-needed community newspaper publishing business. Along with local radio personality Geno Gladden and businessman John W. Cole, Lee launched The Sacramento Observer on Nov. 22, 1962.

A short time after starting the paper, Gladden passed away. And, in 1965, Lee and his wife, Kathryn, became sole owners of the paper, starting at the same time the Lee Publishing Company. The publishing company grew during the 1970s and ’80s, publishing, at one point, seven distinct publications in California and Nevada — including Los Angeles, San Francisco, Stockton, Solano County, Reno, Nevada and Sacramento.

Dr. Lee took on local, state and national leadership roles. From 1970 to 1989, he served on the board of directors and as an officer of the National Newspapers Publisher’s Association (NNPA), the Black Press of America. He was co-founder and a long-time president of the West Coast Black Publisher’s Association (WCBPA). Lee was named “Publisher of the Year” by the WCBPA in 1985.

Active in the field of journalism and the newspaper industry, Lee’s publications, along with his call for quality and excellence in the industry, gave him a national reputation. He was a judge for journalism’ s highest accolade, the Pulitzer Prize, in 1987. Lee’s newspaper, The Sacramento Observer, has been named the nation’s No. 1 Black newspaper six times; being awarded the coveted John B. Russwurm trophy, the nation’s top newspaper publishing honor given by the National Newspaper Publisher’s Association.

A recognized business leader, Lee served on the board of directors of a number of national and local companies, including Blue Cross of California; Methodist Hospital (Sacramento); the Superior Valley Small Business Development Corporation; the advisory board of Wells Fargo Bank; and the advisory board of the former Home Savings financial institution.

Dr. Lee’s commitment to serve others kept him active in civic and educational circles. He was named Alumnus of the Year (1993), by UC Berkeley’s Black Alumni Association. He was appointed by California Gov. George Deukmejain to chair the statewide Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday committee, which led to the state’s observance of the MLK holiday. Years later, in January 2014, Dr. Lee would serve as the Grand Marshal of the annual Dr. Martin Luther King Holiday March in Sacramento.

Dr. Lee has been honored by a large number of groups and organizations for his long and dedicated community service and leadership. He received Lifetime Achievement Awards from the California Black Chamber of Commerce and the Sacramento Chapter of the Links and the Observer newspaper was inducted into the Sacramento Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce’s Hall of Fame in 2012.
The same year, Fortune School of Education named an elementary school, William H. Lee College Prep, in honor of Dr. Lee. The school’s computer lab is named after Dr. Lee’s late wife.

In January 2015, Kevin Johnson, Sacramento’s first African American mayor, awarded Dr. Lee with the Mort Friedman Legacy Award, which honors an outstanding individual who has made notable civic and community contributions within the Sacramento city and region.
A memorial service has been tentatively set for Sacramento on Tuesday, October 1. Details to follow.

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IN MEMORIAM: Hughes Van Ellis, Survivors of the Tulsa Race Massacre, Dies at 102

Along with his older sister, Viola Fletcher, months-old Hughes Van Ellis fled the white mobs and fires that tore through the Greenwood District in Tulsa leaving behind rubble and ash. Not only did they lose their homes, they also lost a lifetime of opportunities, Van Ellis told CNN earlier this year. “I lost 102 years. I don’t want nobody else to lose that,” he said. “He died waiting on justice,” his grandnephew, Ike Howard, told CNN.

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Hughes Van Ellis was still fighting for justice until his death Monday.File photo courtesy NNPA.
Hughes Van Ellis was still fighting for justice until his death Monday.File photo courtesy NNPA.

By Stacy M. Brown | NNPA Newswire

Hughes Van Ellis, one of the last three survivors of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, died at 102 on Monday, October 9, according to Oklahoma Democratic Rep. Regina Goodwin, who spoke on behalf of his family.

Ellis died Monday night in Denver, Colorado.

Along with his older sister, Viola Fletcher, months-old Ellis fled the white mobs and fires that tore through the Greenwood District in Tulsa leaving behind rubble and ash.

Not only did they lose their homes, they also lost a lifetime of opportunities, Van Ellis told CNN earlier this year. “I lost 102 years. I don’t want nobody else to lose that,” he said.

“He died waiting on justice,” his grandnephew, Ike Howard, told CNN.

Known affectionately as “Uncle Redd,” Ellis was a WWII war veteran and a symbol of resilience in the face of racial adversity.

Goodwin remarked, “He bravely served America, even as he spent a lifetime awaiting atonement related to the Tulsa Race Massacre, which occurred between May 31 and June 1, 1921, when white mobs violently attacked Black residents, destroying over 35 square blocks of the prosperous Greenwood District, known as “Black Wall Street.”

Goodwin, a staunch advocate for reparations for race massacre survivors, emphasized Ellis’ unwavering commitment to the cause.

“Two days ago, Mr. Ellis urged us to keep fighting for justice,” Goodwin noted. “In the midst of his death, there remains an undying sense of right and wrong. Mr. Ellis was assured we would remain steadfast, and we repeated to him, his own words, ‘We Are One,’ and we lastly expressed our love.”

Ellis leaves behind his sister Viola Fletcher and Lessie Randle as the last known living survivors of the Tulsa Race Massacre.

Ellis’ death was deeply mourned by the Diaspora African Forum (DAF), which fondly referred to him as Uncle Redd.

In tribute to his remarkable life and the enduring connection between the African diaspora and their heritage, Van Ellis was granted honorary Ghanaian citizenship.

Dr. Erieka Bennett, founder and head of mission for DAF, and Dr. Toni Luck organized the historic visit of Uncle Redd and Mother Fletcher to Ghana in August 2021. “Mr. Van Ellis’s existence illuminated the indomitable nature of the human spirit amidst overwhelming odds,” Dr. Bennett asserted.

“Granting him honorary Ghanaian citizenship was a gesture of profound respect for his enduring legacy.”

 

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Community

Charles ‘Chuck’ Cherry, Black Newspaper Publisher in Florida, Dies at 66

Charles W. “Chuck’’ Cherry II of Daytona Beach, a fierce advocate of the Black Press and a longtime warrior for social justice, died on Saturday, July 15, at age 66. Chuck Cherry retired as publisher of the Daytona Times and the Florida Courier in 2020 after running the Black newspapers’ editorial operations for decades.

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Chuck Cherry published the Daytona Times and Florida Courier until 2020. Courtesy photo.
Chuck Cherry published the Daytona Times and Florida Courier until 2020. Courtesy photo.

Charles W. “Chuck’’ Cherry II of Daytona Beach, a fierce advocate of the Black Press and a longtime warrior for social justice, died on Saturday, July 15, at age 66.

Chuck Cherry retired as publisher of the Daytona Times and the Florida Courier in 2020 after running the Black newspapers’ editorial operations for decades.

The retired attorney also was an author, speaker, radio broadcaster and strategic business planning consultant.

In 2019, he founded 623 Management, Inc., a company that focused on developing and disseminating messaging to Black America with a specific focus on understanding and reaching Florida’s Black population through a comprehensive marketing strategy.

He also was a sought-after speaker on Black history and civil rights in Daytona Beach and beyond.

Charles W. Cherry II was born on Aug. 6, 1956, in Daytona Beach to Julia T. Cherry and Charles W. Cherry, Sr., founder of the Daytona Times and Florida Courier newspapers. The senior Cherry also was a past president of the Florida NAACP and a former Daytona Beach city commissioner.

Admitted into the Florida Bar in December 1983, he was a former Fort Lauderdale city and South Florida state prosecutor, and practiced law for 21 years before returning to journalism and newspaper publishing as his primary occupation upon the death of Charles W. Cherry, Sr.

For more than 10 years, Chuck Cherry also served as general counsel to the Housing Authority of the City of Fort Lauderdale.

Along with being publisher of the newspapers, he served as general manager of the family-owned radio station WPUL-AM and for years was host of the station’s “Free Your Mind’’ radio show.

Jenise Griffin, who replaced Cherry as publisher in 2020, said, “Chuck Cherry was my longtime mentor and friend, and I am devastated by his passing. He was a giant in the journalism industry and his voice will be missed. As his award-winning column was titled, he told it ‘straight, no chaser.’ I admired him as a journalist, a brother with a great legal mind, and an awesome father.’’

She added, “Although he was no longer a working member of the Daytona Times and Florida Courier, the staffers often still reached out to him for advice and insight on their editorial projects.’’

Plans for a public memorial service are in the works. In lieu of flowers, the Cherry family is requesting that donations be made to the Charles W. Cherry Sr. Endowed Scholarship Fund via giving.morehouse.edu.

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Bay Area

Former BART Director Margaret Pryor, 89

Margaret Katherine Riley Pryor, 89, passed away peacefully at home in Moreno Valley, California during the early morning hours of July 8, 2023. She was born on Nov. 10, 1933, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, to parents Katie Jasper Drake and Luther L. Thompson.

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Margaret Pryor
Margaret Pryor

Margaret Katherine Riley Pryor, 89, passed away peacefully at home in Moreno Valley, California during the early morning hours of July 8, 2023. She was born on Nov. 10, 1933, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, to parents Katie Jasper Drake and Luther L. Thompson. After her family relocated to Phoenix, Arizona, she graduated from Phoenix Technical High School and later attended Arizona State University.

She married the late O.D.V. Owens in 1953 and from that union Malcolm D. Owens and Cheryl Y. Owens were born. She married the late Roy A. Pryor in 1964.

Margaret was first elected to the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) Board of Directors in 1980. She served as the BART board president for three terms.

A tireless advocate of access to public transportation in underserved communities, she made sure Bay Area communities’ interests were represented on all vital transportation industry issues, particularly advocating for increased funding for public transportation and passenger rail in the community she served.

Margaret was also influential in the founding of Black Women Organized for Political Action (BWOPA). She was a member of Bay Area Christian Connection in Oakland, California.

She was preceded in her death by husband Roy A. Pryor, her mother Katie Jasper Drake and father Luther L. Thompson, half-brother Luther James Thompson and half-sisters Wanda Dorsey and Patsy Atkins.

Margaret is survived by her children: Malcolm D. Owens and Cheryl Y. Owens; grandchildren Tente S. Owens (Naykeya), Malcolm C. Owens, Jr. (Christie), and L. Alexander ‘Alex’ Williams III; great-grandchildren: Spring M. Owens, Malcolm Brayden Owens, Mckenzie R. Owens, Maverick C. Owens, Logan A. Williams, Justin A. Williams; step-great-grandchildren Jazmin M. Guidry, Taylor M. Miller, and Seoul M. Worrell; half-sisters: Althea Banner, Angela Bailey (James) and Tarvis Parks.

Margaret leaves many other loved ones and friends to mourn her loss.

She will be remembered as a strong and intelligent woman who impacted many lives throughout her lifespan. Her remains will be interred with her husband, Roy A. Pryor, at Rolling Hills Memorial Park in Richmond, California. Services will be private.

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