Thom Greer, a pioneering journalist who rose from covering the suburbs to being one of the first black editors of a major daily newspaper, died today of cancer. He was 69.

Greer became editor of The Plain Dealer (Ohio) in 1990 -- 26 years after beginning his journalism career in Trenton, N.J. He was one of only three black journalists to lead newsrooms at major daily newspapers at that time.