Alvah Chapman, Jr.
| Alvah Chapman Jr. | |
|---|---|
| Born |
March 21, 1921 Columbus, Georgia |
| Died | December 25, 2008 (aged 87) |
| Nationality | American |
Alvah Herman Chapman Jr. (March 21, 1921 – December 25, 2008) was an American newspaper publisher who served at the helm of The Miami Herald and as chairman of the Knight Ridder newspaper division.
Chapman was born in Columbus, Georgia on March 21, 1921. His family owned the R. W. Page Corporation, which owned the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer among other publications. His father was chosen as publisher of The Bradenton Evening Herald, and he moved to Florida with his family when he was five years old. He was editor of the student yearbook and quarterback on the football team in high school.
He attended The Citadel, graduating with a business degree in 1942; at the age of 19 he was named Regimental Commander, the highest ranking member of the Corps of Cadets. He endowed the Alvah H. Chapman chair in business management at his alma mater in 1989.
During World War II he served as a B-17 pilot with the 401st Bomb Group based at RAF Deenethorpe, England flying 37 missions over Europe. By age 23 he was Commander of the 614th Bomb Squadron; during one mission in which two of his plane's four engines caught fire, he was able to land his plane safely. Chapman received three awards of the Distinguished Flying Cross and six Air Medals.
After returning from military service, Chapman was hired by the Ledger-Enquirer, where he ultimately became the paper's business manager. Chapman was hired in 1953 as the executive vice president and general manager of the St. Petersburg Times, where he introduced a profit sharing program and developed metrics for employee performance. He and partner Mills B. Lane Jr. purchased the Morning News and the Savannah Evening Press, creating the Savannah Morning News and Press, which they sold in 1960.
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