Exhibit 99.2


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                           CONTACT:
                                                Hugh F. Gouldthorpe, Jr.
July 19, 1999                                   Vice President
                                                Quality & Communications
                                                (804) 965-2922


                       Peter S. Redding and John T. Crotty

                      Join Owens & Minor Board of Directors

Richmond,  VA....Owens  & Minor  (NYSE-OMI)  announced  today  that its board of
directors has elected John T. Crotty of Lake Bluff, Illinois, to fill a new seat
on the board.  Earlier this year, Peter S. Redding of Kettering,  Ohio, was also
elected to a vacant seat on the board.

Redding is  president  and chief  executive  officer  of  Standard  Register,  a
position he assumed in 1994  following  more than 30 years of service in various
sales and management positions at the company.

"We are pleased to welcome  Peter  Redding to our board of  directors,"  said G.
Gilmer Minor, III, chairman and chief executive officer of Owens & Minor.  "Pete
leads a dynamic company that is very active in the healthcare  industry.  We are
fortunate  to be able to add Pete with his vast  expertise  in sales and general
management to the Owens & Minor Board."

Crotty is the  managing  partner  of CroBern  Management  Partnership  (CMP),  a
healthcare  investment  firm,  and  president  and chief  executive  officer  of
CroBern,  Inc.  (CroBern),  a healthcare  consulting and advisory firm. Prior to
co-founding  CMP and CroBern,  Crotty held several senior  management  positions
during 19 years with American Hospital Supply Corporation. He was corporate vice
president and president of an operating group,  principal strategic and business
development  officer,  and a member of the executive  and  operating  management
committees.

"John Crotty brings to Owens & Minor an exceptional depth of knowledge about the
healthcare  industry,"  said  Minor.  "He has played a  leadership  role in many
mergers and acquisitions, and is a specialist in strategic planning and business
development.  John's knowledge will serve Owens & Minor well as we move into the
next century."




Redding,  who is a native of  Brooklyn,  New  York,  is a B.A.  graduate  of the
University of Maryland. He also holds a Masters Degree in Decision Sciences from
Georgia State  University.  Crotty earned a Bachelor's  Degree in economics from
Grinnell College and a Master's Degree from the University of Chicago's Graduate
School of Business.

Owens & Minor,  Inc., a Fortune 500 company  headquartered in Richmond,  Va., is
the  nation's  largest  distributor  of  national  name  brand  medical/surgical
supplies.  The company's distribution centers throughout the United States serve
hospitals,  integrated healthcare systems and group purchasing organizations. In
addition to its diverse product offering,  Owens & Minor helps customers control
healthcare costs and improve inventory management through innovative services in
supply chain  management,  logistics and  technology.  For fax copies of Owens &
Minor's news  releases,  contact  Company News On-Call at (800)  758-5804,  ext.
667125.  For releases on the World Wide Web,  visit  www.prnewswire.com,  or for
more  information  about  Owens & Minor,  as well as news  releases  and virtual
warehouse tours, visit the company's Web site at www.owens-minor.com.