John Wilson, a
founding member of the National Lesbian and Gay
Journalists Association, who held editing positions at
several newspapers including The New York
Times, has died at age 56. Wilson collapsed and
died in his Manhattan apartment early Friday. His
partner, Richard Poirier, told the Times the
cause may have been heart attack or stroke.
Wilson was a West
Virginia native and a graduate of Marshall University.
He worked as an editor at The Detroit News, The Rockford [Illinois] Register News,
The Washington Times, The Miami Herald, and the Sun-Sentinel
in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
In 1998 he joined
The New York Times as an assistant to the
science editor. Wilson's membership card in the NLGJA
bore the number 4, and he was considered a leader, though he
never held a formal office. Along with his partner,
Wilson's survivors include his mother, Barbara Wilson,
and his brother, Rick Wilson. (AP)