by Evan Silverstein

RICHMOND, June 26 — The Presbyterian Outlook Foundation has honored the life of a former Presbyterian Outlook general manager who died earlier this year.

James S. Brown Sr., and two others were lauded during the foundation's annual dinner, held on June 26 in conjunction with the 216th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA).

Brown, who was general manager and later publisher of the Outlook, an independent Presbyterian publication, was remembered for teaming with his brother, the late Aubrey N. Brown, and the late editor Ernest Trice Thompson, to lead the publication "from humble beginnings in the 1940s to its role as a leading progressive voice in the Presbyterian Church," in the words of Richard A. Ray, president of the foundation's board of directors.

While Aubrey Brown and Thompson wrote the words that challenged the church, it was James Brown who made it possible for the magazine to survive, Ray said. James Brown also "developed the Outlook Book Service into a well-respected and efficient mail-order service," Ray said.

James Brown died last March at age 91. He was active in his church and community. In the 1950s, when others in Richmond were resisting racial integration, he volunteered as a leader of an African-American Boy Scout troop.

"He advanced the cause of equal rights also by hiring African-American high school students at the Outlook," Ray said, "making it one of the first white-operated businesses in the city to take that step."

James Brown received the E.T. Thompson Award during the Outlook dinner in 1989 during the 201st Assembly in Philadelphia.

"Tonight we honor his memory, thank his family for sharing him with us, and promise to continue promoting the values by which he lived," Ray said.

The Foundation also honored Lillian McCulloch Taylor, who for 15 years has edited the book-review section of the magazine.

"Each week her efforts introduce readers to new and important selections from a vast array of publishers," Ray said. "She oversees an amazing network of reviewers and keeps our readers well informed."

course, an ever-present dictionary," Ray said. "Her dependability as a proofreader is amazing."

Also during the dinner, John Sniffen, associate editor of the Presbyterian Outlook, received a standing ovation for his service to the publication. Sniffen, 49, who started working at the Outlook in 1997, was recently named associate editor of Presbyterians Today, the denominational magazine of the Presbyterian Church (USA). He will take his new position later this summer.