John C.A. Watkins, 1912-2000, was Publisher and Chairman of the Board of the Providence Journal-Bulletin beginning in 1974. His journalistic career began in Dayton, Ohio, in 1934, and he came to these newspapers in 1945 as assistant to the publisher. Throughout his leadership and direction, Rhode island’s major news sources became considered among the finest in the nation.

He was a leader in his profession as a past President of the Inter-American Press and Daily Newspaper Association. He was a retired U.S. Air Force Lieutenant Colonel, earning many honors as a WWII fighter pilot.