Remembering John Craig
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John G. Craig Jr. at the Post-Gazette in September 1988
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A memorial service for former Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Editor John G. Craig Jr. will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday, June 5, in Calvary Episcopal Church in Shadyside.
Mr. Craig, who died in his Sewickley Heights home late Wednesday of metastatic cancer, left a strong impression over the years on other influential public and private figures around the region.
Among the comments about Mr. Craig, who ran the newspaper from 1977 to 2003 and afterward carried on public advocacy work through the Riverlife Task Force and other ventures:
"John demonstrated a beautiful capacity for scheming and outwitting anyone or anything that could slow down the development of the rivers for the public. ... And, always, he did this with such a wonderfully ironic sense of humor and pure joy in the management of destiny to suit his vision for the community."
-- Maxwell King, former president of the Heinz Endowments and formerly co-chairman of Riverlife Task Force with Mr. Craig
"John stood out for his good humor, skeptical manner and tough questions. That mix was quintessentially John Craig. He was tough, but fair-minded, always probing, and always driven by grand ideas. ... John's commitment to building a community marked by big ambitions and real information may seem an anachronism in an age when the 'journalists' we know best are paid to shriek at each other on whatever media is available. Maybe that's why I'll miss him even more."
-- Grant Oliphant, Pittsburgh Foundation president
"When I was a county commissioner, John and I had meetings on a regular basis, and he significantly influenced many of my more 'momentous' decisions. I came to trust and rely upon his practical advice and seasoned wisdom. Thus, behind the scenes, John Craig was in a way directly responsible for many watershed projects and changes to county government, economic development and even 'Plan B.' But he never wanted anyone to know that his fingerprints were present, while his direct influence and ideas caused the changes to occur."
-- Bob Cranmer, former Allegheny County commissioner
"So many people described John Craig in terms of him coming into their office and sitting down to say, 'We're going to make things happen on the rivers and you really need to be part of this.' The people who were approached have never forgotten that."
-- Lisa Schroeder,
First Published May 28, 2010 12:00 am
