Media heir Barbara Cox Anthony dead at 84

<p>Barbara Cox Anthony, an heir to the Cox media fortune and longtime Hawaii resident, died Monday following an extended illness, Atlanta-based media conglomerate Cox Enterprises Inc. announced. She was 84.</p><p>Cox Enterprises is the parent company of The Atlanta-Journal-Constitution and Atlanta's WSB-TV and WSB radio.</p><p>Anthony and her sister, Anne Cox Chambers, inherited the company from their father, founder and three-time Ohio Gov. James M. Cox, in 1974.</p><p>Forbes magazine in March estimated Anthony's assets and those of her sister at $12.6 billion apiece, making them the 45th richest people in the world.</p><p>"My mother was actively involved in our company through her leadership on the Cox Enterprises board of directors," James C. Kennedy, Anthony's son and Cox Enterprises chairman and chief executive officer, said in a news release issued by the company. "She inspired me both personally and professionally.</p><p>"As we mourn my mother's passing, we will always be grateful to her for her leadership and constant support of Cox employees, their families and our businesses," Kennedy said.</p><p>Anthony, who lived in the Diamond Head area, was chairwoman of Dayton Newspapers and a member of the Cox Enterprises board of directors. She also served as a member of the board of the Hawaii Preparatory Academy on the Big Island and was the only female member on the board of the Santa Gertrudis Breeders International Association.</p><p>Anthony was a director and founder of the Hawaii School for Girls, now called La Pietra, and a director of the James M. Cox Foundation.</p><p>As chairwoman of Hualalai Land Corp., Anthony oversaw all aspects of a 7,500-acre ranch located on the slopes of Mt. Hualalai on the Big Island.</p><p>Anthony is also survived by her daughter, Blair Parry-Okeden, sister, five grandchildren and four stepchildren.</p>

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