Oliver Gilliland, Norton's national field sales manager, died at his home in Oakland, Calif., on March 1. He was 54. The cause was liver cancer. Norton president and chairman W. Drake McFeely said, "There was no one more devoted to this firm, its people, its independence and, most of all, its books."
Gilliland started his book career in 1968 as a sales clerk at Alpha Omega Books in Topeka, Kans., becoming manager in 1972. Later, he was a sales clerk at Sonoma State College Bookstore; in 1976 he became manager of Bookplace, a children's bookstore in San Francisco. In 1978, Gilliland crossed over to publishing, joining Morrow as New England sales rep. In 1980, he became assistant sales manager, children's books. In 1981, he joined Norton as sales rep for Northern California and the Northwest. He remained in this position until 1999, when he was promoted to national field sales manager. Gilliland was also on the board of directors of Small Press Distribution in Berkeley.
