Richard Love Biography

Prominent newspaper publisher Richard Love was born on June 24, 1938, in Hahira, Georgia. Recruited by the Los Angeles Dodgers following high school, Love declined an invitation to their farm team to pursue a college degree. Love attended Kentucky State University, but left following his freshman year to join the military.

Prior to withdrawing from Kentucky State University, Love was involved in a racially charged protest. Objecting to the school's policy of admitting whites into the all-black college, Love and several classmates staged a demonstration that led to the torching of the school gym. In 1958, Love opted to leave Kentucky State University for the military. Love spent three years in the service, and spent considerable time at Fort Devers in Boston and Bavaria, Germany, where he became the battalion photographer. Love left the military in 1961 and returned to his home in St. Petersburg, Florida.

Love worked as an orderly at a V.A. hospital for several years until 1964, when he was recruited to work on vice president Hubert Humphrey's personal defense team. The next year, Love became a real estate appraiser for World Savings, where he also worked as a housing consultant for the Urban League. Love worked in real estate for nearly a decade, primarily as a housing coordinator of land-based properties in Dade County, Florida. There, he acquired his first experiences in journalism as an editor for the community newsletter.

Love moved to Westwood, California, in 1985. There, he continued working in real estate and also became an advisor for black businesses. Encouraged by the success of the African American Denver Times, Love surveyed the community to gauge support for a black newspaper. After receiving largely positive responses, he established The Long Beach Times. Singlehandedly writing, editing and publishing the newspaper, Love focused on giving African Americans a voice by including the names of political representatives and city council members and listing their contact information in each issue.

Love continues to publish The Long Beach Times and each edition of the bi-weekly newspaper reaches an estimated 30,000 readers. In the early 1990s, he founded the Long Beach Chapter of African American Commerce. A member of the NAACP and advocate of black business development, Love is a devoted leader of the Long Beach community.

Love was interviewed by The HistoryMakers on November 19, 2002.