Name
Jervay, Paul R., Sr (Interviewee)
La Brie, Henry G (Interviewer)
Title
Oral history interview with Paul R. Jervay, Sr., 1971
Other Titles
Reminiscences of Paul R. Jervay, Sr. : oral history, 1971; Oral history of Paul R. Jervay, Sr., 1971
Abstract
In this interview with Henry G. La Brie III, Paul R. Jervay, Sr. discusses his family, education, employment history, and work with several black owned and operated newspapers. Jervay shares information on his grandfather, as well as his father who started the Jervay family in the printing and newspaper businesses. In addition he details his brothers' contribution to the family business and provide s information on the various newspapers they published, or with whom they worked, including the Norfolk Journal and Guide, and The Chicago Defender. He discusses his work at The Carolinian, and its growth under his leadership: equipment, circulation, staffing, and revenue sources. Jervay shares his views on the importance of, and challenges facing, the black press; and last, its future and impact on black and white communities. He provides his view on the question of whether a paper's ownership dictates its qualification to be identified a black paper. Jervay also talks about the importance of the black press; The Carolinian's affiliation with Amalgamated Publishers, Inc. and the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA); strategies for weeklies to compete with dailies; the importance of the black press as a supplement to the white press; the need for a national news service for African American newspapers; and the importance of investing in the business.
Collection Name
Black Journalists oral history collection
Subjects
Journalists; African American press; African American journalists; African Americans--Civil rights; Journalism--Social aspects; Family-owned business enterprises; United States Race relations; Raleigh (N.C.); Norfolk (Va.); Jervay, Paul R., Sr; National Newspaper Publishers Association (U.S.); Chicago defender
Format
oral histories
Genre
Interviews
Date
1971
Physical Description
sound files : digital preservation master, WAV files (96kHz, 24 bit); 52 pages
Note (Biographical)
Paul Reginald Jervay, Sr. (1906-1993) was one of eight children born to Robert Smith Jervay and Mary Alice (McNeil) Jervay, a teacher. Jervay's grandfather, Reverend William R. Jervay, a former slave, served in South Carolina's State Senate during Rec onstruction. His father, Robert, founded the R. S. Jervay Printing Company in 1901, and the Cape Fear Journal in 1927. Paul Jervay attended the Gregory Normal Institute and Hampton Institute (University) where he studied printing technology, and later taught linotype for eight years. Jervay returned to Wilmington, North Carolina to assist his father run The Cape Fear Journal, which, in 1945, was renamed The Wilmington Journal. Jervay began working for The Carolina Tribune in Raleigh during the late 1930s and by 1940 he became the owner, publisher, and editor and changed its name to The Carolinian. Jervay married Brenda Yancey, whom he met at Hampton Institute. Together they had two children: Paul Jr., and Prentice Jervay Monroe, a pharmacist. Prentice Jervay Monroe succeeded her father as Publisher in 1993, and Paul Jervay, Jr. succeeded her in 1997.
Note
Interviewed by Henry G. La Brie III on June 11, 1971.
Note (Provenance)
Henry G. La Brie III Gift, 1975
Language
English
Library Location
Columbia Center for Oral History, Columbia University
Browse Location’s Digital Content
Catalog Record
11563778
Also In
Oral History Archives at Columbia
Time-Based Media
Time-Based Media
Persistent URL
https://dx.doi.org/10.7916/d8-7x6j-4s59
Related URLs
Available digital content for this interview.