Lewis H. Young, 1924 1998

It was the spring of 1969. Richard M. Nixon was President, the Vietnam War was raging, and the Dow Jones industrial average was hovering at 950 or so. On May 1, Lewis H. Young became editor-in-chief of BUSINESS WEEK, beginning a run that lasted 15 years, the longest in our nearly 70-year history. I'm sad to report that Lew died on June 12 at age 73.

During Lew's tenure here, BUSINESS WEEK experienced rapid growth, fortifying its position as America's best-selling business magazine. With an eye for news, he substantially upgraded the magazine's coverage of Corporate America, never flinching from the tough story when it was appropriate. Perhaps his greatest contribution was to anticipate two of the far-reaching trends of our time: the technology revolution and the globalization of business. He expanded our international bureau system, especially in Asia, and launched a weekly department called Information Processing--making BUSINESS WEEK the first noncomputer publication to cover the nascent industry on a regular, in-depth basis.