Bob Ross (publisher)

For other people named Bob Ross, see Bob Ross (disambiguation).

Bob Ross (April 2, 1934 – December 13, 2003) was the co-founder and former publisher of the Bay Area Reporter and a key gay rights and AIDS activist in San Francisco.^[1][2] For his lifetime work he was inducted into the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association Hall of Fame for creating two of the "most well-respected and enduring LGBT publications in the country".^[3]

Bob Ross
Born	(1934-04-02)April 2, 1934 New York City
Died	December 9, 2003(2003-12-09) (aged 69) San Francisco
Occupation(s)	Publisher, Activist

Biography

Ross was born in New York City and moved to San Francisco in 1956.^[2] He was working as a chef at the time he started Bay Area Reporter in 1971 with friend Paul Bentley.^[2][4]

In addition to the Bay Area Reporter, Ross published the long-running Gay Comix, beginning in 1985 and continuing until 1998.

He was criticized by some for his more moderate policies, sometimes leaning toward the conservative, with gay rights being seen by many as a primarily liberal issue.

He died December 9, 2003, due to complications from diabetes.

Bob Ross Foundation

In 1996, he established the Bob Ross Foundation, which donated to a "broad portfolio of nonprofits." In 2016, the foundation donated $50,000 to purchase equipment for the GLBT Historical Society to digitize and publish a complete searchable archive of the Bay Area Reporter from the first issue in 1971 until 2005 when the newspaper began online operations.^[5]

Awards and honors

The annual scholarship awarded by the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association of Northern California is named for Bob Ross.^[6] It was established in 2006.

On June 28, 2010, Buckley added to his title of publisher the position of president of print, animation and digital divisions of Marvel Worldwide.

In 2013, the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association inducted Bob Ross into the HLGJA Hall of Fame.^[7][3]

In 2017, The Bob Ross LGBT Senior Center was opened. It is the first in San Francisco dedicated to the needs of the LGBT senior community.^[8]

References

1. Nanette Asimov (December 12, 2003). "Bob Ross -- pioneering gay journalist and activist". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved October 15, 2020.
2. "Bob Ross, 69; Publisher of S.F. Newspaper Oriented Toward Gays". Los Angeles Times. December 15, 2003. Retrieved October 15, 2020.
3. Sunnivie Brydum (August 4, 2013). "Founders of Bay Area Reporter, Philadelphia Gay News Inducted Into LGBT Journalists Hall of Fame". The Advocate. Retrieved October 15, 2020.
4. Katie Szymanski (2002). "Bob Ross: Thirty Years of Bay Area Reporter". In Winston Leyland (ed.). Out in the Castro: Desire, Promise, Activism. San Francisco, CA: Leyland Publications. pp. 107–110. Retrieved October 15, 2020.
5. Sari Staver (October 20, 2016). . Bay Area Reporter. Archived from the original on 2017-01-01. Retrieved December 30, 2016.
6. Zak Szymanski (March 29, 2006). "Journalism award named for Bob Ross". Bay Area Reporter. Retrieved October 15, 2020.
7. Chuck Colbert (August 29, 2013). "Ross, Segal Enter NLGJA Hall of Fame". Bay Area Reporter. Retrieved October 15, 2020.
8. David-Elijah Nahmod (April 28, 2017). "Honoring Bob Ross, San Francisco's First LGBT Senior Center Opens In Hayes Valley". Hoodline. Retrieved October 15, 2020.