The Sun
Sunnyvale's Newspaper

Resident ran Peninsula's Þrst black-owned paper

Charles Thrower, 77, dies in his Sunnyvale home

By Katherine Petersen

Naomi Thrower tells a story about Charles, her husband of 27 years, in which he helps a couple of out-of-towners get their bearings in Sunnyvale. Before the conversation was through, he had invited them home for Thanksgiving dinner.

"It was a wonderful thing," she said. "The kids saw the extra car in the driveway and said, 'Uh-oh, Charles did it again.' "

Thrower died in his Sunnyvale home Nov. 8 after a long fight with emphysema and heart disease. He was 77.

Dr. Larry Hooper, who practices medicine in Sunnyvale, said he was never more relaxed than when spending an evening at the Throwers'. He and his wife met the Throwers through friends of friends some 25 years ago.

"He was a very caring, sharing, warm and considerate man," Hooper said. "He really enjoyed being with people. Some of my fondest memories are of evenings spent with Naomi and him." Thrower was rarely seen without a book or newspaper under his arm, Hooper said.

An outgoing man, he had a special ability to make people feel comfortable even if there was some initial discomfort, his wife said.

"When you met him, there was almost immediate conversation," she said.

That, coupled with his philosophical beliefs that people need to be brought together, made him successful in his 30-year communications career.

Thrower believed that if people of different races could talk together, problems would be more easily solved.

As the editor and publisher of the Peninsula's first black-owned newspaper, The Peninsula Bulletin, which has since closed, Thrower hired employees of many nationalities to practice what he preached.

The Bulletin, which published weekly from 1965 to 1978, was education-oriented. The articles discussed seminars and conferences sponsored by and for minorities, events not found in the mainstream press, said Naomi, who is Asian-American.

Naomi met Charles in 1967 when she was working as a teacher during the integration of schools in San Mateo County. She used Thrower's newspaper as an educational tool. The two became close friends because of shared interests and philosophies, and marriage followed.

For a time, Naomi worked with her husband at the paper, situated in their University Avenue home, until Thrower closed the paper after his third heart attack.

Thrower stayed involved with community activities and organizations, including MidPeninsula Citizens for Fair Housing, the Bay Area Urban League, the Urban Coalition and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.

Thrower, who grew up in Philadelphia, faced many battles of his own because he was black, his wife said.

Charles Thrower is also survived by his brother, Emmett Thrower of Philadelphia; sister, Odessa Thrower of Philadelphia; daughters, Theresa Thrower-Keenhold of Henryville, Pa., and Pamela Thrower-LeSesne of Everett, Wash.; sons, Brian Yum of Palo Alto and Steven Yum of San Jose; and seven grandchildren.

A celebration of life service will be held at 3 p.m., Nov. 21, at Valley Presbyterian Church, 945 Portola Road, Portola Valley. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be sent to the MidPeninsula Hospice Foundation, 65 El Camino Real, Menlo Park, 94025.

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This article appeared in the Sunnyvale Sun, November 19, 1997.
©1997 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.