W. Leonard Evans Jr.

William Leonard Evans Jr. (c. 1914 – May 22, 2007) was an African American businessman whose enterprises included Tuesday magazine and the National Negro Network.

Biography Early life and education He was born William Leonard Evans Jr. in Louisville, Kentucky, the son of William L. Evans Sr. and Beatrice Evans. His father was an architect and secretary of the National Urban League. After two years at Fisk University, Evans transferred to the University of Illinois, where he graduated with a degree in business in 1935.

Career Advertising In the 1940s, as a member of the Associated Publishers newspaper representatives, Evans was part of "one of the first extensive studies to examine the purchasing habits of black consumers in Baltimore, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C." Following his work with Associated Publishers, Evans had his own advertising agency (Evans and Durham, Inc.) in New York City before joining Arthur Meyerhoff & Company as an advertising executive in Chicago. After four years with Meyerhoff, "Evans reduced his role at the firm and opened a second agency in Chicago ... [and] created Negro market campaigns for companies such as Pet Milk, Philip Morris cigarettes, Wrigley gum, and Armour meat products." The network operated just over a year before Evans ended it because of insufficient advertising. The publication "featured positive stories on African American life, politics, and culture." summarized the magazine's role by saying, "Look and Life are basically published for whites but also read by Negros. Tuesday is basically published for Negros and read by whites too." Its first printing "reached over 1.3 million homes". In 1975, Evans received the University of Illinois Alumni Association's Alumni Achievement Award, which "is presented to those alumni who have attained outstanding success and national or international distinction in their chosen profession or life's work, and whose accomplishments reflect admirably on or bring honor to their Alma Mater."