Otis has gone surfing, and hes not coming back, Noel Greenwood, then senior editor of The Times, said in 1991, almost four years before Willes took over and eight years before Staples erupted. There was widespread speculation after he gave up his corporate titles that he had been gently nudged aside by long-disgruntled family members. Overnight, copies of an old photo of Chandler were pinned and taped by the dozens to pillars and walls and bulletin boards throughout the newsroom, where some still remain. Find records of Otis Chandler Birth records Marriage records Divorce records . Otis Chandler died at age 51 years old in March 1971. For several years, the pair had enjoyed a Saturday ritual. Asked in a 1997 television interview whether he was satisfied with his legacy, he replied: I wanted to be No. But he said he wished people realized that if hed been left totally on his own, he might have done something different, so why did they question it when he finally decided he would do something different., Although Chandler often likened himself to the eagle that serves as the symbol of The Times I like to soar, to get above the minutiae and the crowds he insisted that as long as he was publisher, I was living the life I wanted to live. Many had led quietly productive lives outside the newspaper industry and had tried to keep their complaints about cousin Otis and The Times within the family circle. He also made it more profitable than ever. Thats more than I ever heard from Mark Willes.. There Chandler spent much of his time alone, later in life unable to name a single childhood friend. Chandlers primary role was to provide the impetus, framework and financial support for change, rather than dictating specifics. Chandler himself invested more than $200,000 of his personal funds. After graduating from Stanford, he tried to enroll in an Air Force training program. It is Marilyn Brant. In a controversial 1996 story in Vanity Fair, Chandler was quoted as criticizing his relatives as coupon clippers elitists bored with the problems of AIDS and the homeless and drive-by shootings. They wished The Times wouldnt cover those issues, and they werent interested in either the papers editorial quality or its social responsibility, he said. But in 1968, the paper endorsed Democrat Alan Cranston for U.S. Senate over Republican Max Rafferty, whom it called an outspoken, militant conservative.. Despite that, Chandler did not envision journalism as a career during his youth; instead, he often said he would like to become a doctor. The change that ignited the biggest debate was Willes announced intention to blow up, with a bazooka, if necessary, the wall that had traditionally separated and insulated the newsroom of the paper from the business department to avoid conflicts of interest. He was convinced that he had taken The Times about as far as he could, and he wanted more challenges and more freedom. The stock price tripled during his first three years at the company, and circulation grew modestly. Norman, the eldest, went through an executive training program and rose to be composing superintendent a position overseeing much of the physical production of the paper before leaving in 1989, when he was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor. [2] In 1945, her husband became publisher of the Times, a position he held until he was succeeded by their son, Otis, in 1960. On arrival, she encountered a doctor she knew, and he revived the boy with a shot of adrenaline in the heart. The two had hunted together, and Burke was the godfather of Chandlers eldest daughter, Cathleen. Since his first run for Congress in 1946, he had been championed by The Times as he successfully ran for U.S. Senate and then for the vice presidency on the Eisenhower ticket. In 1999 almost 20 years after he left the publishers office and with no official ties to the paper anymore its standing in the national journalistic firmament was still so important to him that he emerged from a largely self-imposed exile and issued a strong denunciation of top Times and Times Mirror executives. Chandler re-entered the public eye in 1999 when he publicly criticized the LA Times for creating a special issue of its Sunday magazine dedicated to the new Staples Center in downtown LA when the paper shared a financial interest in the property. As a Times columnist, he would become one of the most celebrated sportswriters ever. Otis Chandler was born on July 4, 1919. Chandler told his wife he wanted a divorce while the two were on vacation in Montana in 1978. The Chandlers had no rival as the most powerful family in Southern California. But Otis had certainly been aware of the family pressure. During his tenure it would expand to 34 foreign and domestic bureaus. Doctors said his right arm, yanked from its socket by the impact, would be virtually useless for the rest of his life. Ultimately, he was able to do everything right-handed, he said, except serve hard in tennis.. His two predecessors as chairman his father and Murphy had been invited to remain on the board, in a non-voting capacity, after their 70th birthdays, but Chandler was not extended a similar invitation, and he was clearly hurt by that. [1], His son, Mike Chandler, was a race-car driver in the CART Championship Car series. Chandler was never a meddler or an intruder. He also complained that the papers editor and publisher never try to come up with new ways to cut the deficit. Son of Norman Chandler and Dorothy Buffum Chandler Some at the Los Angeles Times felt that Chandlers sharp public criticism of management and the widespread attention it received played a role in several subsequent management decisions. Staffing in Washington and Sacramento was expanded. Heirs to other great newspaper dynasties have felt an obligation to remain deeply involved with their papers, virtually until their dying day, and Chandlers decision not to do so remained a topic of curiosity among his peers long after he left. Although all three of his sons worked at the paper for varying periods, none ascended into the top executive ranks. Despite the enormous difference in their socioeconomic status, the two remained close friends for more than 30 years. Recovery was slow but complete, and it was during that period of recuperation, Chandler said many years later, that he did a lot of thinking and somehow developed my competitiveness.. Buff Chandler was the daughter of a prominent Long Beach family, owners of the successful Buffums department store. He built a newspaper that was as great as the city it covers. Otis and Williams perhaps the ablest newspaper editor of his generation, in Halberstams words became a formidable team. After the series was published, Otis asked for an editorial criticizing the Birchers. In 1995, when he was 68, his motorcycle collided with a tractor in New Zealand, leaving him with part of the big toe on his left foot missing, another toe severely damaged and the rest of the foot largely numb. Prep Rally is devoted to the SoCal high school sports experience, bringing you scores, stories and a behind-the-scenes look at what makes prep sports so popular. Like his father before him, he thought he should concentrate on companywide responsibilities, by succeeding Franklin D. Murphy as chairman of the Times Mirror board. I occasionally hunt with a bow I am a saltwater fisherman and dry-fly freshwater fisherman, a gun collector, a sometime skeet and target shooter, an avid backpacker, outdoor photographer, trophy skinner, wild game gourmet but a lousy cook. Victims suffer from severe dementia, as well as the stiffness, tremors and impaired movements characteristic of Parkinsons. Word that Chandler was breaking his silence ricocheted through the newsroom. He missed the day-to-day challenge and the interaction with the editors and with the news. I loved being a reporter. When The Times consistently provided editorial support for various downtown redevelopment projects, civic activists were quick to say the projects would enhance the value of the Chandler familys real estate interests there. The stories described the Birchers extremist tactics and positions and, largely through their own words, depicted them as a threat to, rather than a defender of, the American way of life. 1 child. They saw the sinister hand of communism behind such government initiatives as fluoridation of the water supply and integration of the schools. Thats why we diversified the company and went into television and cable and forest products and books and medical and legal publishing.. He was also consumed by another passion: buying classic cars for his museum. I was a B student.). He was initially miserable; the other students all seemed richer, better-educated and more sophisticated. If he hadnt divorced Missy, Im not sure he wouldve left the paper. When he was a little older, he set up his own backyard basketball backboard and high-jump pit, and practiced both sports, by himself, hour after hour. By all accounts, the family enjoyed their outdoor experiences together, for Chandler focused on his children as intensely as he did on everything else that mattered in his life. Otis Chandler (November 23, 1927 February 27, 2006) was the publisher of the Los Angeles Times between 1960 and 1980, leading a large expansion of the newspaper and its ambitions. On March 5, 1980, Chandler announced that Johnson would become the fifth publisher of The Times and the first since the papers infancy who was not a member of the Otis or Chandler families. No one could say that the team carried me or that the coach put me in because my name was Chandler.. But in 1972, he suffered his most damaging blow and it was, to a significant extent, self-inflicted. Among them: the mate of the musk ox that nearly killed him in 1990. He spent 1951 to 1953 on the ground in the Air Force, supervising sports and acting as co-captain of the Air Force track team at Camp Stoneman in the San Francisco Bay Area. 1. The collection also included dozens of vintage motorcycles, some of which were loaned to the Guggenheim Museum for its Art of the Motorcycle exhibit, which opened in 1998. As it turned out, however, several members of the Chandler family had begun to share Otis disenchantment with Willes, especially the companys lack of diversification, interest in new media and long-term strategic plan, as Chandlers sister, Camilla Chandler Frost, put it the morning the sale to Tribune was announced. Please enable JavaScript in your browser's settings to use this part of Geni. After a year or so in editorial, when I told my dad that Id just like to be a reporter, he said, no, I had to go on to other departments, Chandler said. I think he saw leaving Missy as getting his freedom in one way, said David Laventhol, publisher of The Times from 1989 to 1994. Chandler retired as publisher in 1980 at the age of 52 to become chairman of Times Mirror, reducing his involvement in the day-to-day operations of the company. Three top editors asked Boyarsky not to read the statement aloud, fearing that it would further provoke an already enraged staff. Willes made several major cutbacks and refocused the companys efforts on newspapers, saying Times Mirror should concentrate on the business it knew best. Numerous top Times reporters left the paper, many to join the New York Times or to pursue other interests. When he arrived at his parents' home with his wife and first child, his father presented him with credentials for a seven-year executive training program at The Times. The conservative movement that would lead to Barry Goldwaters presidential candidacy in 1964 and to Ronald Reagans subsequent rise was in its nascence. Of all the political figures to benefit from The Times partisanship over the years, none had been more favored, or more successful, than Nixon. [2], On his 23rd birthday, Chandler proposed to his college sweetheart, Marilyn Brant, on the seventh hole of the Pebble Beach golf course. On one memorable occasion, a hotel maid walked in on him while he was doing full squats with his wife on his shoulders in place of a barbell. Grandson of Harrison Gray Otis. And that apparently gave Mrs. Chandler the opening she needed. Research genealogy for Otis Chandler of Mingo, West Virginia, as well as other members of the Chandler family, on Ancestry. Like many women of her generation, Marilyn Chandler had long put her own career interests on hold to raise their children. [1] Later, Chandler said his motivation to invest in The Times' quality could be attributed, at least in part, to his desire to combat the East Coast opinion that, "The Times was regarded as a bad newspaper from a hick town". He expected the very best of himself and of those around him.. Lucy Otis (born Chandler) in MyHeritage family trees (OBRIEN Web Site (FamilySearch)) view all 19 Immediate Family Stephen Otis husband Arunah Otis son Caroline Graves daughter Calvin Otis son Alice Otis daughter Chandler Otis son Lucy Randall daughter Stephen Otis son James Otis son Seth Otis son Nathaniel Otis son James Otis son view all 15 Although Chandler had previously been insistent that his criticisms of the business strategies pursued by Times management remain private, this undermining of the papers editorial integrity stirred him to action. Historical records and family trees related to Chandler Otis. While in college, he sometimes worked summers at the paper, most often moving printing plates and other heavy equipment. [1], Chandler was raised on a 10-acre (40,000m2) citrus ranch in Sierra Madre owned by his parents. That article deeply wounded some of the 160-odd descendants of Otis grandfather, family patriarch Harry Chandler. In a cover story on Chandler in 1967, Newsweek said, In the six years since his father made him publisher of The Times, Chandler has staged one of the most remarkable palace revolutions in U.S. journalism. Otis . Williams was 21 years older than Chandler and often pulled in his reins. They resented my position at the L.A. Times and felt there were a lot of things I could have done differently.. Did The Times change out of foresight or luck? Chandler immediately excelled, breaking the school freshman record with a toss of 48 feet, 761/47 inches. In college, he had sometimes worked summers at the paper, most often using his physical strength to move printing plates and other heavy items and equipment. Williams and Frank McCullough, one of the papers two managing editors, agreed at the outset of the gubernatorial campaign to monitor the coverage inch by inch to ensure that both candidates were covered fairly and equally. Reporter Gene Blake produced a five-part expose, written in calm, matter-of-fact language. Surprising though it may have been, that behavior the initial reluctance to question his successors; the cheerful acquiescence to the sale was very much in keeping with a lifelong pattern. When I asked what he did, he just said, I work at The Times,. Thomas recalled. The paper's Sunday magazine on October 10, 1999, was a special issue dedicated to the new Staples Center sports arena in downtown L.A., home to the Lakers, Clippers and Kings. There were so many changes going on, and I think if we hadnt kept up with the flow, The Times wouldnt have continued to do well financially Im glad we did what we did.. He hunted. And he wrote an exhaustive, if somewhat ponderous, seven-part series about the treatment of mentally ill children. Were going to spend as much money as it takes to be the best newspaper in the country and I mean, specifically, [better than] the New York Times, Chandler said in remarks to the papers Washington Bureau in the mid-1960s. [1], In 1998, at age 71, Chandler suffered minor head injuries when he spun out a Ferrari automobile on the road in Oxnard. MyHeritage Family Trees; FamilySearch Family Tree; WikiTree; Geni World Family Tree; California Deaths, 1940 - 1997; U.S. Social Security Death Index (SSDI) U.S . Chandler won many distinguished awards in his years at The Times: honorary degrees and plaques and certificates from various universities and other prestigious institutions, including a lifetime achievement award from the Annenberg School for Communication at USC a few months before the sale of Times Mirror. Chandlers grandfather and father followed Gen. Otis in the publishers chair. He started work right away as a pressroom apprentice on the graveyard shift. He surfed. Her father had been mayor of Long Beach. They also gave me quiet time so I could really think. It wasnt meeting Bettina that did it, even though Missy thinks so, Chandler said many years later, referring to Marilyn Chandler by her nickname. But he did send memos to Williams, the editor, periodically in his early years as publisher criticizing the business and sports sections, for example, and complaining about the content and design of the Sunday magazine, then as now called West. Otis Chandler (November 23, 1927 - February 27, 2006) was the publisher of the Los Angeles Times between 1960 and 1980, leading a large expansion of the newspaper and its ambitions. But William Thomas, who was Times editor when Chandler made his decision to step down as publisher, said he remembered sitting in a taxi with him in Madrid in 1975 before hed met Whitaker, when he was still married to Missy and hearing Otis say he wanted to give up the publishers job in three to five years. Newspapers are a mature, non-growth industry, vulnerable to cyclical economic downturns and increases in the cost of newsprint, he said. Although Halberstam would later say, No single family dominates any other region of this country as the Chandlers have dominated California, Otis had a far-from-pampered upbringing and was never a man who could be described as effete. Chandler was an exotic, at times mythic figure among the nations newspaper executives, most of whose exertions and excursions outside the boardroom were generally limited to golf courses and cruise ships. When many top Times executives proved either reluctant to change or incapable of meeting his standards after he became publisher, he replaced 22 of 23 department heads within the first year. But in 1989, two months after Laventhol replaced Johnson as publisher, Day was removed. Column: 15 minutes of fame flies by. 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