George J. Cotliar, who served as managing editor of the L.A. Instances for 19 years throughout a 40-year profession on the paper, has died.
Cotliar’s daughter, Sharon Cotliar-Zweifach, confirmed that Cotliar died in his sleep early Monday at his residence in Newport Seashore. He was 94.
“Our dad’s past love was journalism, and as a lot as he was an unimaginable, devoted father, we very a lot knew we have been rising up with a newspaper man,” Cotliar-Zweifach informed The Instances on Wednesday. “He set the bar excessive when it comes to honesty, integrity and treating folks with respect. We understood that’s how he operated — in his work and together with his colleagues and with us.”
George Cotliar was born Jan. 16, 1932, within the Bronx to Russian immigrants. When he was 5, his household moved to Los Angeles and settled into what he appreciated to joke was the “slums of Beverly Hills.” He attended Beverly Hills Excessive College, Los Angeles Metropolis Faculty and, finally, Cal State Los Angeles, the place he earned a level in journalism.
After working at an assortment of native papers round Los Angeles, Cotliar caught wind that The Instances had a gap. He took a $13-a-week pay reduce to get his foot within the door and one step nearer to the aim he’d set for himself whereas working a newspaper route at 11 years previous: to run the Los Angeles Instances.
He was employed as a reporter for the Westside part and promoted a yr later to editor of The Instances’ suburban part; after one other yr, he took on a replica editor function earlier than changing into a replica chief after which editor of particular sections on the paper. He labored assignments within the Metro and Nationwide departments, spent two years as managing editor of The Instances’ Orange County version, and after 21 years of changing into well-acquainted with myriad roles on the paper, he nabbed the title he’d been working towards since grade college: managing editor.
Underneath his watch, the paper’s protection received 10 Pulitzer Prizes and quite a few different accolades.
“He was a terrific supervisor dedicated to the readers of the paper, particularly in how the paper introduced the information on Web page 1,” former Instances Nationwide Editor Roger Smith stated Tuesday. “He was at all times striving for the perfect tales and the perfect steadiness doable each day, and once I say each day, I imply each day. He was an L.A. particular person. He knew town and he knew the county.”
As infamous as Cotliar was for his correct calls on election evening, spectacular reminiscence, devotion to journalism and love for school basketball and the Los Angeles Instances, he was additionally identified across the newsroom for his occasional near-slapstick mood. Whether or not it was calling the mayor an “a—” when he thought he’d been hung up on or slamming the return key of his typewriter so exhausting that it flew off, there was by no means a boring second with Cotliar on the helm.
L.A. Instances Managing Editor George Cotliar, proper, greets King Hussein of Jordan at a reception on the newspaper’s downtown Los Angeles constructing within the Eighties. Robert W. Gibson, editor of The Instances’ Overseas part, is seen within the background.
(Los Angeles Instances)
Cotliar married Pearl Ruth Gottlieb on Aug. 24, 1958. She died in December 2011.
He’s survived by his son, David Cotliar, and his partner, Kenneth Wang; his daughter, Sharon Cotliar-Zweifach, and her partner, Dr. Eric Zweifach; and two grandchildren, Abigail Zweifach-Coles and Joshua Zweifach.
