On behalf of the National Newspaper Publishers Association, we extend our heartfelt condolences to the family of William Garth Sr. who passed Friday, Sep. 23, 2016, in Chicago. William (Bill) Garth was the legendary publisher and chairman of the Chicago Citizen Newspaper Group.
We do not have the funeral arrangements at this time, but we will send out a publishers alert as soon as those details are announced.
The following is a brief bio of William Garth Sr.
Mr. William Garth Sr. was the chairman of the Chicago Citizen Newspaper Group Inc., Garthco, Inc. and founder/chairman of the QBG Foundation, as well as chairman of the Chatham Business Association. Garth is the guiding force behind what is known as the largest Black-owned ABC audited newspaper in America.
Having started with the Chicago Citizen newspaper in 1969 as an advertising sales representative under the leadership of former Congressman Gus Savage, he purchased the Chatham Citizen, South End Citizen and Chicago Weekend in 1980. Garth later added the South Suburban and the Hyde Park editions, and founded Garthco Publications, which published PUSH Magazine, a bimonthly national publication. With Chicago’s population being nearly 50 percent Black, the Citizen has effectively reached this market. Citizen Newspapers has a total circulation of 121,000 and a weekly readership of more than 400,000. The circulation areas cover Chicago’s south and west sides, as well as the south suburbs.
As a tribute to his business acumen, Garth became the first Black person to be elected president of the Illinois Press Association. The IPA is the state’s largest newspaper association and the office trade organization for Illinois weekly and daily newspapers. Garth is the second Black person in the nation elected president of a statewide press association. He sat on the Board of Government Affairs Committee of the Illinois Press Association and served as a board member for more than 15 years. In addition, he was elected a stockholder in the Cook County South Suburban Publishers Association and in 2009, was elected chairman of the Cook County Publishers Association for 2010. His business savvy and knowledge in the publishing industry allowed him to also serve as a board member of the Midwest Black Publishers Association. In December 1998, Garth received the honor of being appointed to Governor-elect George Ryans Transition Team and was later appointed to the board of directors for the Illinois Inauguration 1998, Inc.
In 1995, Garth founded the Quentis Bernard Garth Foundation, of which he is chairman, in memory of his youngest son, Quentis B. Garth. The Q.B.G. Foundation provides scholarships to the disenfranchised, inner-city youths in the Chicagoland area. To date, the foundation has helped more than 49 students and has disbursed more than $1 million in scholarship awards. A dedicated activist and leader in the business community, Garth maintained memberships and positions with several business organizations. He was the former president of Midwest region III of the National Newspaper Publishers Association, Region III advertising representative with the NNPA, Transition Team for IDOT Dan Ryan Project, board member of the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition, a lifetime member of the NAACP and a member of the Chatham Lions Club. Garth was the recipient of numerous local and national awards and honors. One such honor bestowed upon him was to carry the torch in Chicago during the 2002 Olympic Torch Relay.
Respectfully,
Benjamin F. Chavis Jr.
National Newspaper Publishers Association
