NEW YORK, Dec. 27 (UPI)

Thomas Morgan III, a former New York Times reporter who helped build the National Association of Black Journalists, has died at the age of 56.

Tom Ciano, Morgan’s partner, told the Times that he suffered from AIDS. Morgan, a Brooklyn resident, died Monday in Southampton, Mass.

Morgan served as treasurer of the NABJ for six years before becoming its first openly gay president in 1990. During his time as treasurer, the group grew from 334 members to more than 1,600 and its assets ballooned from less than $50,000 to $1 million. As president, Morgan expanded internship and mentoring programs and established a fellowship to help members do stories in Africa, the Times said.

A native of St. Louis, Morgan graduated from the University of Missouri. He served in the U.S. Air Force and worked for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Washington Post before joining the Times in 1983, where he worked as an assistant editor and reporter.

He left the Times in 1994.

Morgan is survived by his partner and three brothers.

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