Harold W. McGraw Jr., who began his career as a salesman in the publishing company founded by his grandfather and later led the McGraw-Hill Cos. as chief executive officer, died last week at his Darien, Conn., home. He was 92.
Mr. McGraw served as the company’s CEO between 1975 and 1983 and spearheaded both McGraw-Hill’s growth and its increasing use of technology. McGraw-Hill is one of the nation’s leading textbook publishers, and CTB/McGraw-Hill is a major assessment company and the producer of the Terra Nova tests.
A well-known philanthropist, Mr. McGraw was honored by the company in 1988 with the establishment of the Harold W. McGraw Jr. Prize in Education. The prestigious $25,000 award is granted annually to three innovators in education. Mr. McGraw, who launched the Business Council for Effective Literacy in 1983, received the nations highest literacy award in 1990 from President George H.W. Bush. Among other posts, he served as chairman of the Council for Aid to Education.
