French, Wilhoit inducted into hall of fame
Two faculty from the school were among the seven members inducted into the Indiana Journalism Hall of Fame during ceremonies Saturday in the Indiana Memorial Union.
Professor emeritus Cleve Wilhoit and professor of practice Tom French received plaques and were honored with tribute videos of their accomplishments.
During his acceptance speech, French, a Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter now teaching at the school, praised current students as those who are shaping the future of journalism.
“We have terrific students who work themselves hard, are dedicated and are so much smarter and mature than I was,” French said of the students in his classes and those he has mentored during his seven years of teaching.
French also praised his own mentors, many of whom were in the audience, including Wilhoit and Paul Tash, BA’76, now leader of the Poynter Institute and once French’s editor at the St. Petersburg Times (now Tampa Bay Times).
Wilhoit drew on students past and future during this talk, citing former students who have gone on to lead organizations, innovate within the industry, win awards or earn legions of readers. The co-author of several studies surveying journalists about their lives, Wilhoit said the data don’t support the widely held notion that the news business is dying.
“The Golden Age is not over,” he said, ticking off the organizations that have responded to change brought by the digital world and are thriving: The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Atlantic magazine, all of which are reaching larger audiences through royalty platforms. “Yet, there are perils, the most perilous of which is the financial structure of news.”
And, like French, he expressed faith in students.
“News journalism and its pivotal role in American democracy fall to a new generation of students with big shoes to fill, but they will not disappoint us with their creativity and intrepidness,” he said.
Other inductees included:
- Bob Daugherty, who covered seven presidents during their White House terms as a photographer for The Associated Press;
- John Rumbach, editor and co-publisher of The Herald in Jasper, Indiana, who led it to the forefront of newspaper photography;
- The late Gene Slaymaker, a distinguished longtime Indianapolis radio and television reporter and newsroom leader;
- The late Lotys B. Stewart, a prolific writer as well as the fashion and home furnishings editor for The Indianapolis Star; and
- Gary Varvel, syndicated editorial cartoonist with The Indianapolis Star.
This induction marks the 50th anniversary of the Indiana Journalism Hall of Fame. It was established in 1966 by the Indiana Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists to honor journalists with strong ties to Indiana who’ve had significant impact nationally or locally through their work. It now is a partner with the Indiana University Media School, which houses the hall’s archives and works with the hall in producing its website and induction ceremony.