Jacksonville Business Journal print editor Ward dies at 66

Robert Ward

Robert Ward, the print editor of the Jacksonville Business Journal, died Thursday at the age of 66 after a four-year battle with cancer.

Timothy Gibbons, the editor of the Business Journal, writes, “Ward spent more than a decade working at the Jacksonville Business Journal, where he started as associate editor in 2003 and became managing editor the following year.

“With a keen sense of news judgment, an exacting eye for detail and a wide-ranging knowledge of the local business community, he helped shepherd the Business Journal through the transition from a print-only publication to a digital-focused organization.

“‘I can remember Robert’s first interview and being intrigued by his distinguished career to date, wondering ‘wow, can we really be this lucky to have him here at the right time’,’ said JBJ Publisher David Sillick, who worked with Ward for more than 13 years. ‘He was an immediate fit and was recognized as a true talent.'”

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Chris Roush

Chris Roush was the dean of the School of Communications at Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Connecticut. He was previously Walter E. Hussman Sr. Distinguished Professor in business journalism at UNC-Chapel Hill. He is a former business journalist for Bloomberg News, Businessweek, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The Tampa Tribune and the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. He is the author of the leading business reporting textbook "Show me the Money: Writing Business and Economics Stories for Mass Communication" and "Thinking Things Over," a biography of former Wall Street Journal editor Vermont Royster.