When Arthur Ochs “Punch” Sulzberger died September 29, journalists and newspapers lovers around the world mourned. He was 86.
Sulzberger, an OPC member, guided The New York Times as publisher, chairman and chief executive for 34 years through an era of national expansion and new revenue sources at a time of vast changes in the media industry. While ensuring the company was on solid financial ground, he gave his editors independence to serve readers and fiercely defended freedom of the press while the legacy of his family that has controlled the paper since 1896.
Employees and former employees of The New York Times were invited to a celebration of Sulzberger’s life at The Times Center on October 5. A Who’s Who of journalism and others who worked for a man everyone called Punch wisely arrived early to find a seat. The room filled to capacity and an overflow area with a live video feed was packed. Any attempt to list names would leave out scores from mastheads, bylines and Pulitzers through the years. For example, Howell Raines, who stood behind in me in line, said it was the first time he had been to the new Times building.
Arthur Sulzberger Jr., the current publisher, spoke first. He said that anyone who knew Punch knows it is important to be on time and with that, the program began 2 minutes early. He thanked Clyde Haberman, who he described as his “former boss,” for the obituary he had written for The Times and those present applauded. Then, four speakers presented different aspects of Punch’s life.
Cathy Sulzberger, his daughter, spoke about the personal side. She said that until the end, Punch enjoyed starting his day with the newspaper and that it had to be pristine, folded just so and waiting for him at breakfast. After his stroke when he had trouble turning pages and reading and had the paper read to him. She said she, her sisters and her brother were raised to take great personal pride in The New York Times. When someone said “There was a good story in the paper today,” she would automatically say “Thank you” and it wasn’t until later that she realized that from a young age she had been taking credit for other peoples’ work.
Max Frankel, Punch’s last appointment as executive editor, was next, talking about Punch’s role in the newspaper and especially his leadership in publishing the Pentagon Papers.
Walter Mattson, a former Times Co. president, spoke about Punch’s leadership style and his role on the business side and in expanding the company.
Donald Graham of the Washington Post Co. said he wished his mother, Katharine, the publisher of The Post who died in 2001, could be there to talk about her good friend Punch but he was certain what she would say. His mother and Punch met when they were young at a publishers’ meeting held by Sulzberger’s father at the family home in Connecticut and they liked each other immediately. Graham said his mother and Punch both had fierce loyalty to what their families had created, dedication to their readers and passed that a sense of duty to their children.
When Arthur Sulzberger thanked everyone for coming, he noted his father’s last act as a newspaperman was to die on Saturday morning in time for his obituary to run in all Sunday editions.