The Citizen, IPA Honors the late William Garth, Sr.
The Citizen, IPA Honors the late William Garth, Sr.
By Christopher Shuttlesworth
The Chicago Citizen and the Illinois Press Association (IPA) recently honored the life and legacy of the Citizen’s Former Publisher William Garth, Sr. at The DuSable Museum of African American History, located on 740 E. 56th Place.
Darrell Garth thanked each elected official, the DuSable Museum representatives, and the Illinois Press Association and family members for paying their respect.
“My father was a great person and would have been honored to have seen everyone here tonight,” Garth said.
Mike Kramer, president at Law Bulletin Media, said it was a privilege to serve and learn from William Garth, who he says was one of the most
honest and successful men he’s ever known.
“He turned the Citizen into one of the most successful businesses in America,” Kramer said. “I mourned his passing because he was a wonderful man. Bill gave a voice to people who were silenced and a platform for
those who could not reach out.”
As a tribute to his business acumen, Garth became the first Black person to be elected President of the Illinois Press Association (IPA), the state’s largest newspaper association and the office trade organization for Illinois’ weekly daily newspapers.
Garth is also the second Black person in the nation elected president of a statewide press association. He served on the Board of the Government Affairs Committee of the Illinois Press Association and as a board member for more than 15 years.
As former chairman of the Chatham Business Association, Garth led the organization in creating opportunities, inroads and programs to benefit and ensure the prosperity, economic strength and excellence of all businesses in the Chatham area and its surrounding communities.
In 1995, Garth founded the Quentis Bernard Garth Foundation, the benevolent arm of the Chicago Citizen Newspaper, in memory of his youngest son Quentis B. Garth. The QBG Foundation provides scholarships to disenfranchised, inner city youths in the Chicagoland area. To date, the foundation has helped over 50 students and has disbursed over $1.5 million in scholarship awards.
As a dedicated activist and leader in the business community, Garth maintained memberships and positions with several business organizations. He is the former president of the Midwest Region III of the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA), Region III Advertising Representative with the NNPA, Transition Team for IDOT Dan Ryan Project, board member of the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition, a life-time member of the NAACP and a member of the Chatham Lions Club.
Garth has also been the recipient of numerous local and national awards and honors; one of such honor bestowed upon him was to carry the torch in Chicago during the 2002 Olympic Torch Relay.
“He was a community leader and fostered and encouraged active government,” Kramer said. “He left a legacy that will continue to effect lives for many years.”
During the evening festivities, the Illinois Press Association (IPA) donated $5,000 to the DuSable Museum of African American History and the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus Foundation in honor of William Garth.
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