Thomas H. Dawson; Former President of CBS

Thomas H. Dawson, 82, who rose from radio advertising salesman in 1938 to president of CBS in 1966. He began his career selling ads for Minneapolis affiliate WCCO and by 1951 moved to New York as general sales manager for spot advertising for CBS Television. After he was named president, Dawson amusingly introduced himself at a meeting of CBS colleagues as “your network president--for the moment.” Shoved aside to a vice presidency in 1969, he left CBS to become director of radio and television in major league baseball’s commissioner’s office. He retired in 1974. On Sunday in Palm Desert.