Frazier, Millard

January 31, 1902 - January 11, 1991

San Francisco Chronicle (CA) - Friday, January 18, 1991

Millard (Bert) Frazier, a veteran of the labor wars of the 1930s and a founder of the Northern California Newspaper Guild. Mr. Frazier, who was 88, died last Friday in Danville of cancer. In later years when reporters and editors began referring to themselves as journalists, Mr. Frazier still insisted on being called a "newspaperman." 

He risked being fired and blackballed from newspapering by the Hearst Corp. - which owned the San Francisco Examiner and the San Francisco Call-Bulletin - for his attempts in 1934 to form Local 52 of the Newspaper Guild, a union of writers, editors, photographers and clerical employees. 

While at the old Call-Bulletin, Mr. Frazier covered the violent San Francisco waterfront strike of 1934. He was the first reporter to reach the body of Howard S. Sperry, one of the union members killed July 5, 1934, "Bloody Thursday." The killing led to a general strike. 

He worked at a number of other papers including the San Francisco Examiner, the defunct Berkeley Daily Gazette as well as the Oakland Tribune. He retired in 1976. 

A native of Dallas, Mr. Frazier was a graduate of Vallejo High School and the University of California at Berkeley. He was a member of the Timbran fraternity for 70 years and publisher of the Timbran Times for the past six years. 

He also coached Babe Ruth baseball teams and was a member of the Sierra Club. 

His survivors include his wife of 58 years, Margaret, a son, Lance, sisters Freddie Baker and Juanita Merriam of Pioneer, a brother, Dumah of Oakland, two grandsons and two great-grandsons.