Lorraine Branham, first female and African American editor at Tallahassee Democrat, dies at 66

Lorraine Branham, dean of the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University and a former trailblazing Tallahassee Democrat executive editor, died Tuesday after a battle with cancer.

She was 66.

“Dean Branham was many things, most importantly a pillar in the Syracuse University community and beyond, an icon in the media industry, an academic innovator, a mentor, an educator, an inspiration and a friend,” Syracuse University Chancellor Kent Syverud said in a statement Tuesday.

A vigil in her honor will be held at 3 p.m. Wednesday in Hendricks Chapel, the Newhouse School announced.

Branham was hired as the Democrat’s executive editor in February 1996 by Publisher Carrol Dadisman. She had been associate managing editor for features at the Philadelphia Inquirer.

She was the first woman and first black person appointed editor of the Democrat.

"Lorraine Branham was an excellent journalist and – more than that – a truly fine person,” said Dadisman, Democrat publisher from 1981 to 1997. “As the first female and first African-American to lead the Democrat news and editorial staffs, she was a true trailblazer.

"I think she then found an even greater calling as a journalism educator, in a leadership position at the University of Texas and then crowning her career as journalism dean at Syracuse, one of the nation's leading schools of communications," Dadisman continued. "Lorraine truly cared deeply about those with whom she worked, and I'm sure her leadership in academe – as well as in newsrooms – inspired and enriched the careers of countless journalists across the country. “

Branham resigned from the Democrat in October 1999 and in 2000, accepted a position as assistant to the publisher at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

In August 2002, Branham served as director of the School of Journalism at the University of Texas at Austin. She was chosen from a field of 300 applicants to be dean of the Newhouse School effective July 2008.

As dean, the school established the Center for Digital Media Entrepreneurship; the Peter A. Horvitz Endowed Chair in Journalism Innovation; the W2O Group Center for Social Commerce; and the Newhouse Sports Media Center.

She spearheaded an $18 million fundraising campaign for the renovation of Newhouse 2 and the creation of the Newhouse Studio and Innovation Center, including Dick Clark Studios and the Alan Gerry Center for Media Innovation, the school said in its release.

“Her life and work served as an example for many as she forged many paths and overcame many barriers," said Sarah Glover, president of the National Association of Black Journalists and a Newhouse graduate.

Branham, who grew up in Philadelphia, was a graduate of Temple University.

Among her survivors are her husband, Mel Williams and son, Norris Branham.

Contact senior writer Byron Dobson at bdobson@tallahassee.com or on Twitter @byrondobson.