Obituaries

Publishers Lunch

Former Wiley ceo Stephen Smith, 61, died on July 10 of urological cancer. Smith retired from his position last year, and was first diagnosed shortly after taking over as the publisher's chief executive in 2011. Mark Allin, who succeeded Smith as ceo, comments: "Steve fought bravely against cancer, never allowing the disease to dampen his natural spirit, energy and vitality. Steve was diagnosed at the very beginning of his tenure as ceo but worked with passion and commitment to make Wiley stronger for the future. He was a mentor to many of us, a leader for all of us and an inspiration to each of us."

James Alan McPherson, 72, who was the first African-American writer to win a Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 1978 for his collection Elbow Room, died Wednesday of respiratory failure and other complications. McPherson was a MacArthur Fellow and a member of American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and spent many years as a professor at the Iowa Writers' Workshop.