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Longtime Sylva Herald Publisher Jim Gray, left,
announced last week that he's turning over management of the newspaper's
day-to-day operations to his son, Steve. The Gray family has owned
and published Sylva's community newspaper since 1945. - Herald
photo by Nick Breedlove
By Lynn Hotaling
Longtime Sylva Herald Publisher Jim Gray announced last week that
he will step down from managing the 77-year-old newspaper's day-to-day
operations.
That job will fall to his son, Steve, 48, who will take over as
president and CEO of The Sylva Herald Publishing Co. Inc. Gray
said Friday.
Jim Gray, 74, will retain the title of publisher and will continue
with the company as vice president, he said.
A Korean War veteran, Jim Gray attended N.C. State University
and Western Carolina University before becoming The Herald's advertising
manager in the fall of 1953.
"I've been here 50 years and that's long enough,” he
told The Herald staff last week.
Jim Gray's parents, J.A. Gray Sr. and Eliza Gray, bought the newspaper
in 1945, two years after it had been consolidated with The Ruralite,
a Sylva paper founded in 1926 by E.E. Brown.
When Jim Gray's parents bought the newspaper 58 years ago, the
office was located on Main Street where Meriweather's is now (the
old Lyric Theater); the newspaper moved to its present location
in 1949 and expanded into the McGuire building, which houses the
reception area and printing sales offices, in 1996.
J.A. Gray was publisher until his death in 1963; Eliza Gray held
that title until her death in 1985.
Until May 1974, each edition of the newspaper was printed on Main
Street, and every line of type was set by hand from lead type,
Jim Gray said.
The decision to switch to more modern offset printing was based
on an industry-wide shift to the more modern technology, Jim Gray
said. Advertisers quit sending "mats,” which were embossed
cardboard molds containing the information for their weekly advertisements,
he said.
Steve Gray began his full-time career at The Herald in 1975 in
printing sales, though he had helped out around the newspaper
since he was 7 or 8 years old and delivered papers on Main Street
each Wednesday.
He became vice president of the publishing company 10 years ago.
"I'll miss Dad, but I welcome the opportunity to provide
a service to this community as my father and grandparents have
done,” Steve Gray said. "I've lived in Jackson County
all my life, and maintaining this newspaper's traditional excellence
is a point of pride to me.”
In looking back over his half century with the newspaper, Jim
Gray said the biggest story he remembers covering was the hospital
fire in April 1958 when C.J. Harris Community Hospital was located
on the hill above the old Jackson County Courthouse.
Another memorable event was a spectacular 1965 fire in Webster
that burned some five houses, Jim Gray said.
During Jim Gray's 50 years with the newspaper the circulation
has increased from 1,850 in 1953 to 7,200 presently, and the newspaper
has garnered numerous awards in both the news and advertising
divisions of the N.C. Press Association's annual competitions.
"I appreciate the cooperation of all our advertisers and
subscribers over the years and look forward to their continued
support,” Jim Gray said Tuesday. "I also appreciate
the employees of The Herald - past and present - who made it all
possible.
"I look forward to Steve continuing this newspaper's tradition
of service to the community and building on its successful past
to create a publication that will continue to fulfill that mission
for years to come.”
"I'll miss the daily grind, but I'm sure I'll find something
to occupy my time and look forward to spending more time with
my wife,” Jim Gray said.
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