James Autry
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By Sarah Bracy Penn
hen he rolled into Oxford, Mississippi, on a motorcycle, he had only $50 and a band scholarship to his name. Now, he’s a former Fortune 500 executive, the author of 12 books and has been dubbed one of the most successful and respected publishing executives in the nation for his work at the Meredith Corp. Because of his leadership at Meredith and in the magazine industry, he encouraged and supported the development of the magazine program at Ole Miss. In 1951 James A. Autry, a freshman journalism major, was an area correspondent for the The Commercial-Appeal. He buzzed around Oxford, stringing stories for the Memphis paper and the AP wire while advancing in the ranks of the Pride of the South marching band. “Someone asked me, ‘Why’d you move from clarinet player to drum major?’ And I said, ‘As a drum major, I got paid,’” he said. For Autry, Ole Miss wasn’t too far from family and the university had awarded him the largest band scholarship of all of the schools to which he applied. As it turns out, Autry had more than that area correspondent gig and a flair for the clarinet — he had ambition. Autry’s fellow students saw it in him before he even saw it in himself. His determination impressed Daily Mississippian editors Paul Pittman and Liz Shiver greatly. “Jim was lively and extremely dependable in getting work done,” Shiver said. “He had all the characteristics you’d look for, but that the majority students don’t offer.” Shiver, who was the first female editor of the paper, remembers having to beg Autry to join the staff. “He was such a quick study,” Shiver said. “He was fast on his feet, clever and funny to be around.” He initially turned down the news editor position Shiver offered him. Still, Autry did not realize his talents. “In hindsight, he later saw my seeing all that promise in him as the
6 MEEK SCHOOL
