Waverly L. Easley, former Philadelphia Tribune President/CEO, 91

Easley’s children said he loved his family and the newspaper business. He was first introduced to the newspaper industry through his mentor, the late publisher Louis Austin of the Black-owned and operated Carolina Times in Durham, N.C.

Easley spent 35 years at the Tribune, working his way up the ranks at America’s oldest continuously published African-American newspaper. While at the Tribune, he served as business manager, controller, executive vice-president, general manger and for the last 10 years was the paper’s seventh president and chief executive officer from 1979 to 1989.

“He loved the paper, he loved the Tribune,” daughter Raquel C. Easley said. “He probably spent more time at the Tribune than he did with us. He loved everything about the Tribune. It inspired him, it really did. Even in the nursing facility, he would tell people ‘I’m going to see if I can get a write-up on you.’”

Daughter Wyvetta Easley-Mallory said even after her father retired from the Tribune, that he would keep up with the paper and with its employees.

“It was as if he was on call all of the time,” Easley-Mallory said. “If anything happened at the Tribune, he would drop everything and run down there. He was very loyal to the newspaper to a fault.”

Philadelphia Tribune President and CEO Robert Bogle remembered Easley as a mentor to himself as well as the staff, adding that he was a dedicated leader of the Philadelphia region’s largest Black newspaper.

“Mr. Easley took the leadership of this newspaper at a very difficult time in its history,” Bogle said. “He provided a bridge that made it possible for others to continue to have this newspaper have a meaningful and effective voice in the African-American community.”

Throughout his life, Easley led and served on several boards including being an original founder and board member of the Philadelphia Martin Luther King Jr. Association, past chairman and board member of the Philadelphia Tribune Charities, board member for the National Conference of Christian Jews and life member and past president of the Zeta Omicron Lambda Chapter of the Alphi Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.

“He was deeply engaged in the community,” Bogle added. “He remained on our Board of Directors for at least another 10 years [after his retirement].”

Born on March 18, 1925, Easley was the fifth of six children. In 1943 he graduated from John M. Langston High School in Danville, Va., then served in the armed forces in World War II, and received the Purple Heart for his heroism on the battlefield.

Upon his discharge from the military, Easley attended the Hampton Institute, now known as Hampton University, and graduated from the college in 1950, earning a degree in business management. While in undergraduate school, Easley married his wife, the former Ruth Coles of Danville, Va. In 1951 Easley continued his education, earning his master’s degree in business administration from Penn State University.

After completing his education, Easley worked at the North Carolina Board of Education as the first distributive education and diversified office practice department head at Hillside High School in Durham. During his role in this capacity, Easley fought biased hiring practices, low wages and meager managerial positions for minorities as he tried to place students as interns in the corporate sector.

Some of Easley’s past affiliations include: the Penn State University Board of Directors for the College of Education, the Philadelphia OIC, Philadelphia Commission on Aging, Philadelphia Boys Scouts of America and the Dr. Ruth Hayre Scholarship Fund. He’s won numerous awards including the Man of the Year Award from the Zeta Omicron Lambda Chapter of the Alphas, the NAACP Leadership Award, the Dr. Ruth W. Hayre Scholarship Fund Achievement Award and the Edyth Ingraham Award from the Omega Omega Chapter of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.

“Any time he was involved in an organization he always gave it his all,” Easley-Mallory said. “He worked hard for all of the organizations. He was a good man. I’m really going to miss him. I think that my sister and I get our strength from our parents, especially our father.”

Easley-Mallory said her father always had she and her sister’s best interest at heart and was very proud of any of their endeavors.

“He was a loving and protective father,” Raquel Easley added. “Family was a big part of our upbringing. He came from a large family himself. He really cared about making sure everybody was taken care of and that even stemmed out into the community.”

Easley is survived by: his wife of 68 years, Ruth; daughters Raquel and Wyvetta; sister Olga; and nieces and nephews.

A viewing was held Monday at 9 a.m. at First African Baptist Church, 901 Clifton Ave. in Sharon Hill. The Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., Omega Service began at 10 a.m. and the funeral followed at 11 a.m. The Interment was held at Washington Cross National Cemetery immediately after the funeral.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be sent in memory of Waverly L. Easley, Alpha Leadership and Scholarship Foundation, c/o The Philadelphia Foundation, 1234 Market St., Suite 1800, Philadelphia, Pa., 19107. Flemuel Brown Jr. Funeral Home is handling the arrangements.