Arthur "Art" A.

Schreiber

It is surprising to everyone who knows him, and perhaps to even God Himself, that on November 7, 2026, Arthur A. Schreiber passed away at the age of 98, just five days away from his 99th birthday. Considering his unmatched zeal for life and fierce determination to overcome any and every obstacle, only the passing of the great Arturo can be truly unanticipated at his age.

As a longtime resident of Albuquerque, New Mexicans are intimately familiar with Art as an active community leader and his many civic contributions, particularly his efforts on behalf of the blind. As a longtime broadcaster, many locals know Art through his tenure and success at KOB/Albuquerque, as well as being one of three embedded reporters to travel with the Beatles on their first American tour. But his son, Mark Schreiber of Hoover, Alabama, will remember him most of all as a father and friend with whom he could share their mutual love of politics, sports (particularly LA Dodgers baseball and Alabama football) and simply making each other laugh.

Art Schreiber was born on November 12th, 1927 in Canton, Ohio. His father was a blacksmith, a local preacher who founded the Anti-Saloon League and at one time the mayor of East Liverpool, Ohio (at least Art inherited the political genes.) Art grew up on a farm listening to news broadcasts with his father, longing to be a reporter delivering the news. That dream would be realized in a very big way.

But first, a family. Art met his wife-to-be Alice at Westminster College in New Wilmington, Pennsylvania. Alice was beautiful, funny and so intelligent that in school she took Chemistry to boost her grade point average. Alice and Art married in 1946 and by all accounts, Art way outkicked his coverage. They had two children, Amy and Mark, of which Mark was the smartest (and coincidentally the author of this piece).

Art’s career in radio spanned fifty years, beginning in Ohio and taking him around the world. He spent most of his professional life in news, and in every possible job: reporter. anchor man, news director, national correspondent, bureau chief and ultimately Vice-President & General Manager of radio stations in Philadelphia, Los Angeles, New York (all with Westinghouse Broadcasting) and then in Minneapolis-St. Paul and Albuquerque (both with Hubbard Broadcasting).

As a newsman Art covered many world-changing events, such as the early days of manned space flight and civil rights protests in the South, and interviewed such notables as John F. Kennedy and Dr. Martin Luther King. Art also received many industry honors, including the Dupont Award presented by the Columbia School of Journalism, as well as many civic awards for his prolific community work, including being the nation’s seventh recipient of the American Lung Association’s Humanitarian Gold Medallion Award.

In 1981 Art moved to Albuquerque to manage the legendary KOB-AM and its FM sister station. Nine months later he awoke unable to see due to retinal detachments. After twelve surgeries and seven months of training learning to function as a blind person, Art returned to manage KOB. His blindness only inspired him; he continued to work at KOB, where both stations dominated the radio market, and in 1985 traveled to New York City to accept the prestigious Broadcast Pioneers Golden Mike Award on behalf of KOB-AM (previously only twenty-two stations had earned this award).

Art initially retired from broadcasting in 1993 to run for mayor. He wasn’t elected but his campaign was a powerful message to the blind. Art had first become involved with the National Federation of the Blind not long after losing his vision, which he always credited for turning his life around. He used his legislative contacts and KOB status to help create the New Mexico Commission for the Blind in 1986. After his mayoral campaign Art devoted his life to helping those who are blind or those who are losing their sight. He became a champion of the blind and would not accept a speaking engagement without the understanding that he may educate his audiences briefly on the problems the blind experience.

From 1986 to 1995 Art served as Commission Chair for the New Mexico Commission for the Blind under four different governors. Due to Art’s and the Commission’s work, New Mexico was the third state to start Newsline for the Blind, a talking newspaper by which the blind could access newspapers from around the state. Art was also past president of the National Federation of the Blind of New Mexico, plus he served as chairman of the State Rehabilitation Council. Most recently Art was President Emeritus of the National Federation of the Blind of New Mexico.

In 2014 Art wrote Out of Sight: Blind and Doing All Right with Hal Simmons. The book, which is also available as an audiobook, describes his experiences of living with blindness and how he rose above the difficulties, and it encourages others who face similar challenges. The book won first place in the 2014 New Mexico-Arizona Book Awards in the self-help/inspirational category.

Mark’s comments on his father: “Many people know that my father was extremely active in all the communities in which we lived, and that when he lost his eyesight, he focused his attention on working on behalf of the blind. But he didn’t just serve on boards and committees. My father totally invested himself personally to help people every chance he got. He would take calls from anyone, at any time of day, to give them advice, inform them of resources or simply listen and try to instill some of the can-do attitude of which he had a seemingly endless supply. I’ve never known a stronger or more determined person. My dad’s principles will forever live in me, and his tireless spirit will endure in the countless people he assisted and inspired.”

Art was preceded in death by his wife Alice and daughter Amy, and is survived by his son Mark (June). 

A celebration of Art's life will be announced at a later date. 

 In lieu of flowers, Art would ask you to make a donation to the Arthur A. Schreiber Endowment Fund with the Albuquerque Community Foundat