Greg Olds

Died June 6, 2023

Austin, Texas

Greg Olds, a longtime resident of Austin, died on June 6, 2023 from complications from surgery.

Greg was an editor of  The Texas Observer.

While at UT, Olds worked at The Daily Texan, as general editor, amusements editor, news editor, night editor and staff assistant.

He was born in Oswego, Kansas on September 5, 1935, to Pauline (Dobson) and Dwight A. Olds.

Four months after Greg’s birth, his family moved to Tulsa, where Greg did most of his growing up. The family also lived in Wake Forest, NC And Houston, TX, where he graduated from high school. In 1958, Greg received a degree in journalism from the University of Texas at Austin, then worked years as an editor and reporter for several newspapers, most of them weekly. He was also editor of The Texas Observer, a political journal.

Through the years, Greg enjoyed Barbershop Quartet singing, college sports and the Oklahoma Sooners. In the years after moving from Oklahoma in 1948 – or being moved, as he often lamented – he remained an Okie, but liked and even admired much of what he found in Texas. But he liked Texas and loved Oklahoma.

He was a long-time member of the American Civil Liberties Union and was President of the Dallas chapter when President Kennedy was murdered. He and several ACLU attorneys were at the Dallas jail that Friday night to be sure that the accused assassin had been given access to a lawyer.

Greg was smart, funny, and the kindest, most sentimental human on the planet. He had a soft spot for cats. He loved his wife, Brenda, and was deeply devoted to her. He and Brenda were charitably minded and supported many causes. After Brenda’s death, Greg established an endowed scholarship at the University of Texas. Their legacy will live on by educating students in Information Technology and Social Work.

Greg was predeceased by his parents, sister Madeline, wife of 46 years, Brenda (Shelton) and former wife Peggy (Dierlam).

Greg left no children, but a special “daughter”, Cheryl Russell, who resided with and took care of both Brenda and Greg in their last years. He is also survived by dear friends, Nancy Coplin and Mary Wright and nieces and nephews. Greg was buried next to his beloved wife and her family in Fairview Cemetery, Winnie, TX.