Richard Goldwater, 1936(?)-2007

Archie Comics President and Co-Publisher Richard Goldwater passed away last Tuesday, October 2, after an extended battle with cancer. Goldwater was a longtime comics company executive and a key figure in building on the company's solid success and fashioning a benign, wholesome set of licenses that were required to nod towards current culture without breaking out of those more wholesome elements. Goldwater was the son of company co-founder John Goldwater, and began to work at his father's company while still a teenager, taking a full-time position by the late 1950s, eventually settling in as the company's long-time managing editor.

According to Mark Evanier's post on Goldwater's passing, he and lifelong friend Michael Silberkleit (son of orginal co-founder Louis) bought the company from their fathers in the early 1980s (assets from a third co-founder, Maurice Coyne, had been brought into the company earlier. Richard and Silberkleit formed a classic creative/business pairing, and Goldwater remained involved in creative decisions even after handing over full editorial duties to hand-picked heir Victor Gorelick -- although I'm not certain from some conflicting reports if Goldwater was named to the duties he performed until his death or assumed them upon taking controlling interest.

According to the obituary released by Archie, Goldwater was a key figure in bringing in additional licensed properties, forging licensing partnerships that extended into other media, and in publishing the material internationally.

He is survived by three daughters. A memorial service is planned for Mamaroneck, New York on Wednesday.
 
posted 10:24 pm PST | Permalink
 

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