NAACP Crisis Magazine Fondly Remembers Diane Straus Tucker, Crisis Board Member & Media Executive

BALTIMORE - Feb. 5, 2018 - PRLog -- The NAACP Crisis Magazine fondly remembers the late media executive Diane Straus Tucker, member of The Crisis Publishing Company, Inc. Board of Directors, who was president and publisher of the Washington Monthly and American Prospect . She passed away in late December 2017.

Diane joined The Crisis Board in 2010 and since that time, became an invaluable part of our team. While on The Crisis Board, she worked directly with former NAACP president Ben Jealous and former NAACP chairman and Crisis board member Julian Bond. The Hon. Laura D. Blackburne, chairman and publisher of The Crisis Publishing Company, Inc., stated, "Diane was truly an asset to our board. Her knowledge of publishing and media were unmatched and we will truly miss her."

Diane was the daughter of R. Peter Straus, a former United Nations official and director of the Voice of America, who built a small empire of radio stations in New York State and weekly newspapers. Her mother was the former Ellen Sulzberger, who was a niece of Arthur Hays Sulzberger, publisher of The New York Times. Together, Diane's parents ran the famed flagship radio station WMCA in New York City, considered one of the nation's most innovative radio stations. WMCA broadcasts are regarded as the first radio editorials and political endorsements and also helped to popularize rock 'n' roll. The station was the home of the famous "Good Guys" and broadcast rock 'n' roll programming from the 1950's to 1970. In the 1970's and 1980's, WMCA became New York City's #1 talk station with legends like Barry Gray, Barry Farber and Sally Jesse Raphael hosting shows. Ellen Straus founded Call for Action, the nation's first telephone help line for individuals trying to solve problems with government officials, corporations and landlords.

Diane was a trailblazer. She was in the first class of women to graduate Yale. While at Yale, she started the university's first women's varsity tennis team and served as its captain. She continued to play throughout her life and was inducted into the Platform Tennis museum and Hall of Fame in Scarsdale, New York.

She held many positions in the publishing world including Manhattan Media, Trader Publications, and The Village Voice. She joined American Prospect as president and publisher and later, the Washington Monthly as publisher. Diane was also an accomplished caterer.

Diane is survived by her sisters, Jeanne and Katherine and brother, Eric; her companion, John Curtis; her daughter, Rebecca Tucker; her sons, Peter and David; and two granddaughters.

The Crisis Magazine was founded in 1910 by W.E.B. DuBois, one of the founders of the NAACP.  It is a quarterly journal of civil rights, history, politics, and culture and seeks to educate and challenge its readers about issues that continue to plague African Americans and other communities of color. For more information, check out www.thecrisismagazine.com and follow us on Twitter at @thecrisismag (https://twitter.com/thecrisismag) ‏and on FACEBOOK.