Frances Black, 75, former chief copy editor of the journals department for the University of Chicago Press, died May 23 at her Chicago home. Mrs. Black was the chief copy editor for 15 years, until her retirement on a medical disability in 1980. She was born and raised in Chicago. Her skill with the English language was largely self-taught. She worked at a number of secretarial positions before applying for the copy editing job at the University of Chicago, which normally required a master’s degree, said her husband, Dr. Harold Black. “They gave her a test to see how capable she was in language and grammar, and after about five minutes, they tore up the test and said, `You’ve got the job,’ ” Dr. Black recalled. Other survivors include two sons, Dennis and Buddy; a brother, Harvey Miller; and three grandchildren. Services were held.
