George Pitts (journalist)


George Eddie Pitts was an influential newspaper entertainment journalist and editor – notably, from 1953 to 1964, for the Pittsburgh Courier, but later, for the Chicago Courier, and the Chicago American''.

Career

U.S. Armed Forces

In September 1943, at age 17, Pitts volunteered to train in the U.S. Army Aviation Cadet Corps in Pittsburgh. He entered active service in the U.S. Army Air Corps November 20, 1943, at Keesler Field in Biloxi, Mississippi. Pitts joined the Reserve Officers Training Corps and then competed for a Regular Army commission under the federal Thomason Act. He was honorably discharged March 8, 1946, at Fort Meade, Maryland.

Journalism

George E. Pitts, Sr., was first a reporter, then entertainment columnist with the Pittsburgh Courier from 1953 to 1964. He was a civil rights advocate and wrote about abolishing segregation, notably in entertainment. As an entertainment editor, Pitts flourished as a prolific jazz columnist. Nat Hentoff, in the 1958 inaugural issue of Jazz Review, singled out Pitts, stating,
W. Beverly Carter, Jr., publisher of the Pittsburgh Courier from 1955 to 1962, became publisher of the Chicago Courier in 1962. Pitts became managing editor of the Chicago Courier in 1964. Later, Pitts was a reporter for the Chicago American.

Civil service

In 1965, Pitts was appointed Regional Civil Rights Coordinator for the Great Lakes Region of the U.S. Office of Economic Opportunity, headquartered in Chicago, as part of President Lyndon B. Johnson's War on Poverty. The Great Lake Region included Minnesota, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, Ohio, and Indiana.

Death

George Eddie Pitts died 14 May 1987 in Washington, D.C., and was interred 19 May 1987, there, at Rock Creek Cemetery.

Family

George E. Pitts was married to Phyllis F. Pitts ''. They were the parents of the late photojournalist George Pitts, Jr. and Michael Kevin Pitts. One of George's late brothers, Ernie Pitts, played football in the Canadian Football League. He also played intercollegiate baseball and football for the University of Denver.

''Pittsburgh Courier,'' selected articles