Gerald Boyd, Former N.Y. Times Editor; Resigned Over Jayson Blair Controversy

"I have always stood for integrity," Mr. Boyd said. "Some have suggested that I looked the other way because Jayson is black. That is absolutely untrue."

Mr. Boyd called the scandal largely a failure of newsroom process and personal oversight.

"We thought we were managing a young man who was sloppy, occasionally erratic and somewhat green, but who showed enormous promise," Mr. Boyd said. "What no one knew was that we were managing a deeply troubled young man whose problems took us away from core journalistic values."

One good thing to come out of the terrible Blair experience, Boyd told his wife, was that he got to spend more time with his son.

Zachary, now 10, played baseball on a Harlem Little League team near their home. Boyd would take Zachary to the park and play catch with him, even after becoming ill, Stone said.

Boyd kept his illness private, telling only family and very close friends.

"He spent this year fighting cancer," Stone said.

Stone said he had moved on from the Blair scandal and its aftermath. He loved to cook, especially manning the outdoor grill. But journalism remained his passion and his hobby. Every morning, the family received six newspapers. Boyd read them all.

"Journalism was his life," Stone said.