William P. Grayson; Executive of Jet, Ebony
William P. Grayson, retired associate publisher of Ebony and Jet magazines, has died at the age of 79.
Grayson, a native of Los Angeles who spent his retirement in the area, died of bone cancer Sunday at the Hospital of the Good Samaritan.
Educated at Los Angeles City College, Grayson began his publishing career in 1937 selling advertising for the newspaper Baltimore Afro-American.
He joined the Johnson Publishing Co. in 1947, selling advertising for Ebony. He worked his way up through the company, which is considered the nation’s most successful black publishing firm and second-largest black-owned business. Johnson also owns radio stations and sells cosmetics.
Grayson was named vice president of Johnson in 1957, executive vice president in 1968, and associate publisher of Ebony and Jet in 1972.
In addition to his publishing career, Grayson lectured regularly at the School of Retail at New York University.
Survivors include two daughters, a son, a brother and two grandchildren.
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