AWARDS CELEBRATION BANQUET
Together Again! MARCH 11, 2022
Cooperative Conference Center Columbia
presented by:
March 11, 2022 Dear attendee: Welcome to Columbia, the venue for this year’s South Carolina Press Association Awards Celebration, presented by AT&T. Welcome back! It’s our first in-person celebration since 2019. It’s a hybrid program, but we’re sure you will agree that it beats another virtual presentation.
106 Outlet Pointe Blvd. Columbia, SC 29210 (803) 750-9561 scpress.org
2021 - 2022 Officers
President Don Kausler Jr.
Index-Journal
Greenwood
Vice President, Weeklies Charles Swenson
Coastal Observer Pawleys Island
Vice President, Dailies Richard Whiting
Index-Journal
Greenwood
Treasurer Nathaniel Abraham Jr.
Carolina Panorama
Columbia
Immediate Past President Suzanne Detar
The Daniel Island News
Executive Committee Andy Brack Charleston City Paper Steve Bruss Greenville News, HeraldJournal, Independent Mail Chase Heatherly The Post and Courier Columbia/Free Times
We gather to recognize and applaud the best of the best journalism in South Carolina, a state filled as much as ever with first-rate bulldogs and storytellers. Cheers to the winners. Take a bow for your dedication and your efforts to inform and enlighten others in a climate that gets more challenging every year. Originally, we planned to celebrate in the Myrtle Beach area, but because of COVID, expense and distance, we changed gears. Thank SCPA Co-Executive Directors Jen Madden and Randall Savely and others for moving quickly to arrange this reimagined gathering at the Cooperative Conference Center, a central, convenient location. Unlike years past, we will recognize award winners from weekly and daily newspapers and winners of associate/individual member contests during the same program. To save time, only first-place winners will come to the stage to receive their plaques. All winners will be recognized from the podium and showcased on the screen. We will induct our 2020 and 2021 Hall of Fame recipients: Ken Burger of The Post and Courier, Dean Livingston of The Times and Democrat and John Henry McCray of the Lighthouse and Informer. While you are here, be sure to thank the SCPA staff for everything they do for our members every day. It has been my honor, pleasure and privilege to serve as your SCPA president this year. On behalf of the SCPA staff and the board of directors, enjoy your meal and your welldeserved celebration today in Columbia. Congratulations. Keep up the exceptional work. Sincerely,
Rhonda Overbey Aiken Standard Abbie Sossamon The Gaffney Ledger Brian Tolley The State, The Island Packet, The Sun News The Beaufort Gazette
Staff JEN MADDEN Co-Executive Director RANDALL L. SAVELY Co-Executive Director
Don Kausler Jr. President
SCHEDULE 10:30 a.m. – 4 p.m. Contest Winners Exhibit Open Ballroom 1 Salon C 11:30 a.m. – 2 p.m. Awards Celebration Banquet Luncheon Ballroom 1 Honoring winners of the 2021 Daily, Weekly & Associate/Individual Member Contests S.C. Journalism Hall of Fame Induction • Ken Burger | 1949-2015 | The Post and Courier • Dean Livingston | 1933-2014 | The Times and Democrat • John Henry McCray | 1910-1987 | Lighthouse and Informer Seating will be begin at 11:15 a.m. We will have two brief intermissions from the program – the first after our Hall of Fame presentations and another after the reporting awards are presented. 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Remote Workspace Open Boardroom and Patio Wi-Fi and Power Available
Special thanks to our
Presenting Sponsor
South Carolina Press Association
Hall of
Fame
Ken Burger 1949-2015
“Don’t forget to be happy. It’s the only measurement of success that really counts.” – Ken Burger In many ways, Ken Burger was a larger than life figure in the Palmetto State. His abilities as a writer are well-known and admired, having spent nearly 40 years in the newspaper business, covering sports, business, politics and life in South Carolina. His writing style was unique, as was his approach to the craft. Ken was a colorful writer whose work captured readers’ attention by finding stories where no one else would see them and telling them with a deft touch. Ken was born Oct. 22, 1949 in Allendale and never forgot his Lowcountry roots. He went to Anderson College and then to the University of Georgia where, according to him, he graduated in 1973 “dead last in his class.” He began his newspaper career when Doug Nye hired him as a sports writer at The Columbia Record in 1973. After nearly a decade at The Record and The State, Ken went to The Post and Courier as a metro reporter in 1984 and quickly moved up to a two-year sojourn as the paper’s Washington correspondent. He returned to Charleston in 1988 to become The Post and Courier’s Executive Sports Editor. In 1989, he became the paper’s full-time sports columnist. That’s where Ken hit his niche, becoming the best and most awarded sports columnist in the state. He was more than a sports writer – he wasn’t even a sports fan – he was a storyteller who wrote about people. As he told many a young aspiring writer, “The easy trick to this column writing business, just write about people.” As a result, Ken touched many people with his columns. For a good deal of Post and Courier readers, Ken was the reason they opened the sports section. He loved to write the stories of people who overcame adversity to become successful. He covered many sporting events, including the Masters, golf ’s U.S. Open, the 1996 Olympics, college sports and Super Bowl, World Series and Final Four games. When asked about his favorite sports moment, Ken said, “All of them.” In addition to sports, he covered the state’s incredible recovery from disasters including Hurricane Hugo.
Ken’s columns brought him state and national recognition with awards including the S.C. Sports Writer of the Year seven times by the National Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association; first place for columns in the Associated Press Sports Editors writing contest three times; S.C. Press Association’s Journalist of the Year in 1996, the first sports writer to win the award; and he received the Herman Helms Excellence in Media Award from the S.C. Athletic Hall of Fame in 2013. He became The Post and Courier’s metro columnist in 2008 where he continued to entertain readers and win writing awards until his retirement in 2011. During his career, he mentored generations of journalists. Ken authored a trilogy of novels – “Swallow Savannah,” “Sister Santee” and “Salkehatchie Soup.” Additionally, he published three collections of columns – “Life Through the Earholes of our Youth,” “Baptized in Sweet Tea” and “A Sporting Life.” His books brought praise from such luminaries as Pat Conroy who said, “nobody picks at the scabs of South Carolina like her native son, Ken Burger.” In addition to his career as a journalist, Ken also served in the U.S. Air Force Reserves from 1971-1991, primarily in public affairs with the 315th Airlift Wing in Charleston. Ken’s impact goes beyond journalism to saving and extending lives. When he was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2007, he wrote a series of powerful columns about his courageous battle, turning his diagnosis into an awareness campaign and encouraging men to get screened for cancer. During and after his treatments, he would visit other cancer patients at Roper Hospital to encourage them. That led the hospital to dedicate the Ken Burger Consultation Room. With Roper’s backing, he also began the Ken Burger Prostate Challenge Golf Tourney at Kiawah, which has raised more than $500,000 for the cancer center. When the cancer returned and spread in 2014, Ken kept his positive attitude until the end, joking with friends that he appreciated reading all the tributes to him while he still could. He died Oct. 20, 2015. Ken’s talent and love for the Palmetto State made him one of the most unforgettable and prolific journalists in our state’s history. And he remains an inspiration to a legion of S.C. newspaper journalists who knew him.
South Carolina Press Association
Hall of
Fame
Dean B. Livingston 1933-2014
“Newspapering,” as he called it, was in Dean B. Livingston’s blood. He and The Times and Democrat will forever be synonymous. An Orangeburg and South Carolina journalistic icon who died in 2014, Livingston began as a bicycle carrier at age eight for the newspaper he would serve as publisher from 1962 through 1999. At age 12, he was a production employee and columnist for The Orangeburg Observer. Over consecutive summer college breaks, he served as The Times and Democrat’s interim sports editor and managing editor. Upon graduating from the University of South Carolina in 1956, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force, serving a three-year tour of duty as a MAPS navigator, logging more than 2,000 flying hours. He then returned to The Times and Democrat as managing editor and, in 1962, he was named publisher. He was on the front line of coverage at the scene of the 1968 “Orangeburg Massacre” in which three students were killed near South Carolina State University during a continuing protest over desegregating a Russell Street bowling alley. He led the newspaper through its most trying times in 1972 when the Broughton Street building complete with major improvements was lost to fire. A year later, The Times and Democrat continued to publish during the snowstorm of 1973 that was termed the worst-ever natural disaster to hit locally. Continuing to produce daily editions no matter what was the hallmark of Livingston’s leadership. He took great pride in
The Times and Democrat never failing to publish during his three decades as publisher. As an industry pioneer, in 1965 he was among the first publishers nationwide to convert to offset printing technology and in the 1990s was on the cutting edge of computer pagination of newspaper pages. Livingston served his community and profession as president of the S.C. Press Association and its Foundation; as an active member of the American Newspaper Publishers Association, and the S.C. Newspaper Publishers Association. He was also an adjunct professor at both the USC School of Journalism and Orangeburg-Calhoun Technical College. He enjoyed 25 years of service to Rotary International, serving a term as president, as well as serving as president of the Orangeburg County Chamber of Commerce. He also served both the Salvation Army and the Boy Scouts of America. In 1989, Livingston was the recipient of South Carolina State College’s Distinguished Achievement Award for “exemplary achievement in business and outstanding community leadership and service.” After retirement, Livingston did not step away from The Times and Democrat, writing columns and serving as editor for the newspaper’s millennial special section. He authored “Yesteryears: A newsman’s look back at events and people who have influenced the histories of Orangeburg and Calhoun counties.”
South Carolina Press Association
Hall of
Fame
John Henry McCray 1910-1987
John Henry McCray was a South Carolina journalist and civil/political rights activist. He was arguably the Palmetto State’s most important Black journalist, and his weekly newspaper, the Lighthouse and Informer, one of the most progressive. His career in journalism ranks among the worthiest in South Carolina history. Sid Bedingfield, author of Newspaper Wars, said McCray’s reporting “knitted together a fractured and despairing African American community and offered hope for the future. Like any good community newspaper, the Lighthouse and Informer provided a sense of connection and engagement; it encouraged readers to imagine themselves as part of a larger community struggling together for a better tomorrow.” The Lighthouse and Informer called aggressively and repeatedly for racial equality. From the beginning, it made its political intentions clear – to inform and mobilize the Black community and bring together people “interested in making South Carolina the democratic community of all races working together for our mutual growth and betterment.” Born in Florida in 1910, McCray moved with his family to the all-Black community of Lincolnville, SC, at age six. He was valedictorian of the class of 1931 at Avery Institute in Charleston. In 1935, McCray earned a chemistry degree from Talladega College in Alabama. A love of writing and a sense of social responsibility drew McCray into journalism. He first served as city editor of the Charleston Messenger from 1935 to 1938. In 1939, he started his own newspaper, the Charleston Lighthouse, which was later named the Carolina Lighthouse to reflect McCray’s desire to publish a newspaper with statewide influence. Two years later McCray took over the Sumter Informer. Setting up operations in Columbia, he published the first edition of the Lighthouse and Informer on December 7, 1941. With its motto “Shedding Light for a Growing Race,” the Lighthouse and Informer fearlessly took on South Carolina’s white power structure. Unlike most Black newspapers of its day, it gave its readers political commentary, society news, entertainment and sports. But most of all, it carried news about Black people from South Carolina, the United States and the world. Before ceasing publication in 1954, the Lighthouse and Informer had become the state’s largest and most politically charged Black weekly. An outspoken critic of racial injustice, McCray was a man ahead of his time. Through his tireless labor as an editor, journalist and activist, he helped end a discriminatory primary system in South Carolina that disenfranchised African American voters; combatted segregation in S.C. schools and businesses; and, in the case of Isaac Woodard, broke a story about police
brutality that brought national attention to the issue and led President Truman to form the first presidential committee on civil rights. “I love The Lighthouse,” McCray said in a speech in 1945. “We don’t publish it to make money. We publish it so our people can have a voice and some means of getting along together.” In 1950, McCray and a white Associated Press reporter were indicted on charges of criminal libel in a case centered on their accounts of a rape accusation. Backed by AP’s resources, the white reporter’s case was dismissed without trial, but McCray pled guilty rather than facing an all-white jury. He was convicted and served two months on a chain gang. McCray and his allies believed his unstinting support of the Briggs v. Elliott school integration case prompted a frustrated administration to pursue charges against him. While McCray served his time, his newspaper continued to publish, and he even penned a column critical of the judge who sentenced him. In 1954, just a few months after the Brown v. Board of Education ruling, the Lighthouse and Informer went out of business and sold its press for $638 to cover back taxes. The newspaper’s precarious finances and McCray’s personal debt incurred during his imprisonment ultimately forced the Lighthouse and Informer to shutter. After the paper closed, McCray edited regional editions of some of America’s most prominent Black newspapers, including the Baltimore AfroAmerican (1954–1960), the Pittsburgh Courier (1960– 1962), the Chicago Defender (1962–1963) and the Atlanta Daily World (1964). McCray’s influence was felt beyond the newsroom in breaking new political ground for Black South Carolinians. As co-founder in 1944 of the Progressive Democratic Party (PDP), the first Black Democratic Party in the South, McCray joined those who protested the national Democratic Party’s tolerance of unfair treatment of Black South Carolinians. He chaired the Progressive Democratic delegations that challenged the seating of delegates to the Democratic National Conventions in 1944, 1948 and 1956. McCray ended his full-time journalism career in 1964 when he joined the staff at Talladega College in Alabama. He continued to write columns for The Charleston Chronicle, a weekly newspaper, and View South, a monthly magazine in Orangeburg. Allen University and Coastal Baptist Institute awarded McCray honorary doctorate degrees. In 1998, he was posthumously inducted into the University of South Carolina College of Journalism and Mass Communication’s Diamond Circle, which honors extraordinary contributions to the profession. McCray died on September 15, 1987, in Sylacauga, Alabama.
HALL OF FAME The S.C. Journalism Hall of Fame was established in 1973 to recognize and honor men and women who have excelled in their craft and made significant contributions to journalism and their communities. Less than 80 newspaper journalists have been chosen by their peers for this recognition. Honorees must have made their journalistic reputation in South Carolina. If the reputation reflects achievements outside the state, the nominee must have been a native of South Carolina. Nominees must have been deceased for four or more years. If you'd like to make a nomination, contact SCPA for eligibility and citation requirements. The deadline to submit a nomination is Dec. 2. 2022. 1973: Elizabeth Timothy (-1757) South Carolina Gazette
1981: Robert Craft Peace (1899-1968) The Greenville News
1987: Wilson William Harris (1889-1955) The Clinton Chronicle
2005: William E. Rone (1926-1998) The State, Columbia
1973: Francis W. Dawson (1840-1899) The Charleston Mercury; The Charleston News; The News and Courier, Charleston
1981: George A. Buchanan (1898-1976) The Columbia Record; Dean of Journalism, USC
1987: William Light Kinney (1902-1983) Marlboro Herald-Advocate, Bennettsville
2005: Alfred B. Williams (1856-1930) News and Courier, Charleston
1974: Narciso G. Gonzales (1858-1903) The State; The News and Courier; Charleston Journal of Commerce
1982: Robert M. Hitt, Jr. (1914-1968) Bamberg Herald; Charleston Evening Post
1988: Talbot Patrick (1897-1980) Chicago Evening Post; The Goldsboro (NC) News-Argus; The Herald, Rock Hill
1974: Bony Hampton Peace (1874-1934) Carolina Spartan, Spartanburg; The Greenville News; Greenville Piedmont 1974: Peter Timothy (1721 - 1782) South Carolina Gazette 1974: Aaron Smith Willington (1781-1862) The Charleston Courier 1975: William Watts Ball (1868-1952) The Evening Post; The Greenville News; Laurens Advertiser; The News and Courier; The State
1982: W.W. Smoak (1877-1947) Press & Standard, Walterboro 1983: Wood Davidson Grist (1865-1925) Yorkville Enquirer; Atlanta Constitution 1983: Hall Thomas McGee (1889-1963) Charleston Evening Post; The News and Courier, Charleston 1983: Edmund A. Ramsaur (1925-1976) The Greenville News; Greenville Piedmont
1988: Frank Wilmore Sossamon (1887-1979) The Gaffney Ledger 1989: Paul S. League (1920-1978) The Lancaster News 1989: Edward Manigault (1896-1983) Charleston Evening Post 1990: Edd A. Burch (1907-1985) Greer Citizen
1983: James Loyal Sims (1914-1962) The Times and Democrat, Orangeburg
1993: Hubert Duvall Osteen (1904-1987) The Item, Sumter
1975: Arthur B. Jordan Sr. (1876-1956) The Dillon Herald
1984: James Edward Chaffin (1913-1977) The Index-Journal, Greenwood
1975: James Rion McKissick (1884 - 1944)Times-Democrat, Richmond, Va.; The Greenville News; Greenville Piedmont
1984: Ambrose E. Gonzales (1857-1926) The State, Columbia; The News and Courier, Charleston
1993: Miles Benjamin McSweeney (1855-1909) The Ninety-Six Guardian; Hampton County Guardian
1976: Hubert Graham Osteen (1870-1955) Watchman and Southron, Sumter; Sumter Daily Item 1976: Edward Hope DeCamp (1865-1952) The Gaffney Ledger; The State, Columbia 1977: Arthur M. Manigault (1851-1924) The Evening Post, Charleston 1978: Harold C. Booker Sr. (1888-1960) Spartanburg Herald-Journal; Greenville Piedmont; The Sumter Daily Item; The Columbia Record 1978: Charles Oscar Hearon (1876-1959) The Spartanburg Herald; Herald, Bristol, Va.; Times, Richmond, Va. 1979: Robert Lathan (1881-1937) The News and Courier, Charleston; The State, Columbia; Asheville (NC) Citizen; 1924 Pulitzer Prize Winner 1980: Tom O’Connor (1902-1969) Hampton County Guardian; Allendale County Citizen 1980: Louis W. Cassels (1921-1974) United Press International
1995: Thomas Pettigrew Davis (1926-1990) Georgetown Times
1984: William E. Gonzales (1866-1937) The State, Columbia
1995: James A. Rogers (1905-1990) Florence Morning News
1985: William R. Bradford Sr. (1874-1957) The Fort Mill Times; The State, Columbia
1996: William D. Workman (1914-1990) The News and Courier, Charleston; The Greenville News; The State, Columbia
1985: Elbert Herman Aull (1857-1929) The Newberry Herald and News 1985: Ernest Allen Cutts (1912-1980) Charleston Evening Post 1986: Noah Graham Osteen (1843-1936) The Item, Sumter 1986: Phil Buchheit (1907-1978) Spartanburg Herald-Journal 1986: R. Frank Mundy (1915-1982) The Index-Journal, Greenwood 1986: Samuel L. Latimer Jr. (1891-1975) The State, Columbia 1986: Harry L. Watson (1876-1956) The Index-Journal, Greenwood 1987: Robert Melvin Hitt (1886-1963) Bamberg Herald 1987: John Kelly Sisk (1913-1980) Greenville News-Piedmont
1998: Joseph F. Smoak (1936-1993) The News and Courier, Charleston; Charleston Evening Post 1998: Marcellus C. Garner (1920-1992) The Sun News, Myrtle Beach; The Myrtle Beach News; The Myrtle Beach Sun; The Field, Conway; The Horry Herald; The Loris Sentinel 1999: Reid H. Montgomery (1909-1993) The State, Columbia; The Item, Sumter; Winthrop College; University of South Carolina; South Carolina Press Association 2002: August Kohn (1868-1930) The News and Courier, Charleston 2002: Annie Laurie Mayer Kinney (1902–1999) Marlboro Herald-Advocate 2003: Annie Howell King (1893-1973) Aiken Standard
2007: Dr. Robert Wilson Gibbes (1809-1866) The South Carolinian 2008: Felix Gregory de Fontaine (1834-1896) Charleston Daily Courier, The South Carolinian; Daily South Carolinian; New York Herald 2009: Robert Quillen (1887-1948) Fountain Inn Tribune 2010: Henry Timrod (1829-1867) Charleston Mercury 2011: William Gilmore Simms (1806-1870) Charleston City Gazette, Daily South Carolinian, The Phoenix 2011: Charles H. Wickenberg Jr. (1923-2004) The State 2012: Peter Manigault (1927-2004) The News and Courier, Charleston 2012: Benjamin F. Perry (1805-1886) Greenville Mountaineer; Southern Patriot, Greenville 2012: Robert Ashe Pierce (1928-2007) The State, Columbia 2013: Col. Thomas Bissell Crews (1832-1911) The Laurensville Herald, Laurens 2014: John Miller (1744-1807) The South Carolina Gazette and Daily Advertiser 2015: Samuel A. Cothran (1915-2010) Aiken Standard and Review 2015: Wilton E. Hall (1901-1980) Anderson Independent 2016: Henry F. Cauthen Sr. (1901-1977) The State, The Columbia Record, The News & Courier 2018: Lewis Timothy (1699-1738) The South Carolina Gazette 2019: John C. Shurr (1947-2015) S.C. Associated Press Bureau Chief 2020: Ken Burger (1949-2015) The Post and Courier 2021: Dean B. Livingston (1933-2014) The Times and Democrat 2021: John Henry McCray (19101987) Lighthouse and Informer
NECROLOGY SCPA's Necrology is typically presented to the membership annually. However, at this year's banquet, we remember those we've lost since our last in-person gathering in March 2019. Margaret Bauknight | May 8, 2019 | Former Feature Writer, Copy Editor, Executive Women’s Editor, Copy Desk Chief, Sunday Editor, Features Editor and Magazine Editor, The State and The Columbia Record; President, S.C. Press Association Women’s Division, 1966 Bill Workman | May 12, 2019 | Former News Reporter, The News and Courier; Former News Reporter, The Greenville News Richard Jackson | July 23, 2019 | Former Comptroller, Index-Journal David Kellin | July 27, 2019 | Freelance Photographer and Writer, The Lancaster News Judi Burns | Aug. 15, 2019 | Publisher, President and Chairman of the Board, Index-Journal; President, S.C. Press Association, 2015 Cathy Gilbert | Oct. 16, 2019 | Former Editor, The Manning Times; Former Editor, The Clarendon Citizen Jerry Halmon | Nov. 19, 2019 | Sports and News Reporter, Advertizer Herald Bobbi Ann Fowler Waters | Nov. 25, 2019 | Advertising Director, The Cherokee Chronicle Thom Anderson | Dec. 1, 2019 | Former Managing Editor and Assistant Sports Editor, Morning News; Columnist, Morning News A.B. Jordan, III | Dec. 13, 2019 | President and Publisher, The Dillon Herald Rhonda Sauls | Jan. 18, 2020 | Office Manager and Classified Ad Sales, The Press and Standard Carol Dowell | Feb. 5, 2020 | Former Graphic Artist and Web Designer, The Manning Times; Former Owner, The Clarendon Citizen Ralph Greer | Feb. 17, 2020 | Columnist, Union County News; Former Features and Column Writer, The Union Daily Times; Former Union County Bureau Chief and Legislative Reporter, Herald-Journal; Former Chairman, S.C. Capital Press Corps Jim Faile | March 2, 2020 | Senior Staff Reporter, The Hartsville Messenger and Morning News; Former Editor and General Assignment Reporter, News and Press Mary Jean Baxley | July 11, 2020 | Freelance Writer, various S.C. publications Greg Jones | Sept. 19, 2020 | Sports Writer, Hampton County Guardian Noel Mermer | Oct. 3, 2020 | Founding Publisher, Charleston City Paper Kent Mahoney | Oct. 21, 2020 | Editor, The Press and Standard; Former Editor, The Hartsville Messenger John Frank Smith Jr. | Oct. 23, 2020 | Former National Advertising Director, Herald-Journal; Former Publisher, The Marion Star and Mullins Enterprise; Former Circulation Manager, Herald-Journal Doug LeCroy | Nov. 1, 2020 | Columnist, The (Seneca) Journal Barbara Ann Stover Jones | Nov. 22, 2020 | Graphic Artist, Chronicle-Independent Hubert D. Osteen Jr. | Dec. 13, 2020 | Retired Chairman, Osteen Publishing Co.; Retired Editor and Publisher, The Sumter Item; President, S.C. Press Association, 1977 Sam McCuen | Dec. 29, 2020 | Former Reporter, The State Bill Fisher | Jan. 15, 2021 | Retired Journalism Professor, Winthrop University Ken Bell | Jan. 21, 2021 | Former Reporter, The Sun News; Former Reporter, The Lancaster News; Former Editor, Beaufort Gazette; Former Editor, The Sumter Item Mac Hill | Feb. 4, 2021 | Former Sports Editor, City Editor and Managing Editor for newspapers including the Greenville Piedmont and The State Bobby Baker | Feb. 27, 2021 | Former Managing Editor, The Manning Times; Former Staff Writer, The Sumter Item Jim Owen | March 16, 2021 | Former Owner, Publisher and Editor, The Clover Herald; Former Owner, The Yorkville Enquirer; President, S.C. Press Association, 1984 Judy VanSlyke Turk | May 2, 2021 | Former Dean, University of South Carolina College of Journalism and Mass Communications David T. “Frosty” Foster III | May 24, 2021 | Former Photographer, The Sun News Johnnie Wilson | July 16, 2021 | Former Pressman, The Newberry Observer Max Heath | July 28, 2021 | Former Executive Editor, Landmark Community Newspapers; Postal Expert, National Newspaper Association Jim French | July 31, 2021 | Founder, Publisher and Editor, The Charleston Chronicle Peggy Kinney | July 31, 2021 | Retired Journalist and Copy Editor, Marlboro Herald-Advocate Nathaniel Abraham Sr. | Aug. 7, 2021 | Publisher Emeritus and Founder, Carolina Panorama Jane Ries | Oct. 10, 2021 | Former Food Critic, The Post and Courier Bob Venturella | Oct. 31, 2021 | Former Night Editor, The State Donny Wilder | Nov. 2, 2021 | Former Editor and Publisher, The Clinton Chronicle; President, S.C. Press Association, 1974 Tom Inman | Nov. 7, 2021 | Former Editorial Page Editor, The Greenville News Bill Collins | Nov. 9, 2021 | Columnist and Editor Emeritus, Index-Journal; Former Executive Editor, General Manager and Editorial Page Editor, Index-Journal Stan Welch | Nov. 20, 2021 | Journalist and Columnist, The (Williamston) Journal Kim Woods | Nov. 27, 2021 | Former Publisher, Yorkville Enquirer and The Clover Herald; Former VP of Advertising and Marketing, The Herald Bob Tribble | Dec. 30, 2021 | Former Owner of Upstate Newspapers, Inc., which published the Keowee Courier, Westminster News, Landrum News Leader, Bamberg Advertizer-Herald, Santee Striper, North Trade Journal and Holly Hill Observer Rudy Pyatt | Jan. 7, 2022 | Former Reporter, The News and Courier Kurt Knapek | Jan. 12, 2022 | Former, VP of Operations and Digital Media, The Post and Courier; Former Online Media General Manager and Reporter, The Sun News Gwen Czura | Jan. 31, 2022 | Former Journalist, The Island Packet Charles Garrick | Feb. 4, 2022 | Former Pressroom Foreman, The Times and Democrat
ATTENDEES Seanna Adcox The Post and Courier Charleston, SC
Mac Banks The Lancaster News Lancaster, SC
Christian Boschult Waccamaw Publishers, Inc. Conway/Myrtle Beach, SC
Jane Alford The Lancaster News Lancaster, SC
Kacen Bayless The Island Packet Hilton Head, SC
Tamia Boyd Greenville News Greenville, SC
Jay Bender S.C. Press Association Columbia, SC
Andy Brack Charleston City Paper Charleston, SC
James Benedetto Index-Journal Greenwood, SC
Jayme Bradford-Kinard Allen University Columbia, SC
Dede Biles Aiken Standard Aiken, SC
Jackie Broach Georgetown, SC
Macon Atkinson Greenville News Greenville, SC Steve Bailey The Post and Courier Charleston, SC Barbara Ball The Voice of Blythewood and Fairfield County Blythewood, SC Jim Baltzelle Associated Press St. Augustine, FL
Travis Bland The State Columbia, SC
Martha Rose Brown The Times and Democrat Orangeburg, SC
2021-2022 SCPA PRESIDENT
S.C. Press Association Proudly Honors
Don Kausler Jr. for His Service to the Palmetto State's Newspapers
ATTENDEES Steve Bruss Greenville News, Herald-Journal, Independent Mail Greenville, SC Andy Burns School of Journalism and Mass Communications University of South Carolina Elizabeth Bush The Daniel Island News Daniel Island, SC Martin Cahn Chronicle-Independent Camden, SC Richard Caines The Post and Courier Charleston, SC Lillia Callum-Penso Greenville News Greenville, SC Kathryn Casteel Gannett Greenville, SC
Lauren Chan Charleston, SC Devyani Chhetri Gannett Greenville, SC Matthew Christian Morning News Florence, SC Kenna Coe Moultrie News Mount Pleasant, SC Kristin Coker The Times and Democrat Orangeburg, SC Jeffrey Collins Associated Press Columbia, SC Genna Contino Greenville News Greenville, SC
Julie Crosby S.C. Press Association UofSC School of Journalism and Mass Communications Joseph Dandron Greenville News Greenville, SC Gwinn Davis Gwinn Davis Media Simpsonville, SC Chris Day Morning News Florence, SC Greg Deal Index-Journal Greenwood, SC Suzanne Detar The Daniel Island News Daniel Island, SC St. Claire Donaghy Index-Journal Greenwood, SC
View full winners list including
comments for First Place winners scpress.org
Congratulations to the Index-Journal team on earning
32 Awards
in the 2021 SC Press Association News Contest Including
8 First P laces and
2nd P lace General Excellence Daily Under 8,500
The Index-Journal Company | 610 Phoenix Street | Greenwood, South Carolina
: Uncovered
ATTENDEES Chiara Eisner The State Columbia, SC
Jeff Evans Lowcountry Weekly Beaufort, SC
Lana Ferguson The Island Packet Hilton Head, SC
Mike Ellis Gannett Greenville, SC
Margaret Evans Lowcountry Weekly Beaufort, SC
Sarah Ellis The State Columbia, SC
Jeanne Everett Daniel Island, SC
Doug Fisher UofSC School of Journalism and Mass Communications, Retired Columbia, SC
What you do matters. The South Carolina Press Association is so proud of the work you do. We applaud the Palmetto State's journalists who shine light everyday on the people and happenings of our state.
Thanks for all you do.
Shadell Frasier Allen University Columbia, SC Adrienne Fry The Post and Courier Charleston, SC Brian Garner The News & Reporter Chester, SC Jenny Garner Chester, SC Boots Gifford The Daniel Island News Daniel Island, SC Bob Gillespie Friend of Hall of Fame Inductee, Ken Burger The State, Retired Columbia, SC Zach Giroux The Daniel Island News Daniel Island, SC Shelbie Goulding The Sumter Item Sumter, SC Thomas Grant Lexington County Chronicle Lexington, SC
Ev eryone at Garnet M edi a Group w o ul d l i k e t o congrat ul at e the staff of The Dai l y Gameco ck on earni ng 17 aw ards i n t he South Carolina Pre s s As s oci at i o n’s 2 02 1 New s Co nt es t , including first place f o r General Ex cel l ence.
FIRST PLACE:
SECOND PLACE:
THIRD PLACE:
General Excellence Staff
Specialty Page Design Cat Harris
Feature Story Nick Sullivan
Use of Social Media Staff
Column or Editorial Writing Raymond Escoto
Page One Design Sabrina Hampton
Column or Editorial Writing Staff
Cartoon or Illustration Kailee Kokes
Sports Photograph Sydney Dunlap
Sports Story Michael Sauls and Kailey Cota
Infographic Cat Harris
Cartoon or Illustration Julia Lako
Photograph Luke Antley
Advertisement Emily Schoonover
Infographic Sabrina Hampton
Video Sebastian Lee, Robbie Greenwald, and Jatin Patel
C o n gr a t u l a t i o n s t o E d it o r -I n -Ch i e f K a i l e y C o t a f o r w in n i n g t h e c o l l e gi at e Journalist of the Year award.
GARNET Media Group
DAILY GAMECOCK • GARNET & BLACK • SGTV • WUSC
garnetmedia.org
Advertisement Beth Bryerton
ATTENDEES Kayla Green The Sumter Item Sumter, SC
Lauren Haley Aiken Standard Aiken, SC
Micah Green The Sumter Item Sumter, SC
Geoffrey Hardee Blythewood, SC
Alice Griffis Charleston, SC
Cliff Harrington The Herald Rock Hill, SC
Terri Errico Griffis Charleston Regional Business Journal Charleston, SC Daniel Gross Gannett Greenville, SC Bonnie Grossman Family of Hall of Fame Inductee, Ken Burger Charleston, SC Greg Grossman Family of Hall of Fame Inductee, Ken Burger Greenville, SC
Jacob Hartdegen Bluffton, SC Noah Hartdegen Bluffton, SC Rachel Hartdegen Bluffton Today Bluffton, SC Stephen Hartdegen Bluffton, SC Pam Harter Orangeburg, SC
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Lee Harter Presenter of Hall of Fame Inductee, Dean Livingston The Times and Democrat Orangeburg, SC Dave Hennigan Greenville News Greenville, SC Caitlin Herrington Greenville News Greenville, SC Alex Hicks Herald-Journal Spartanburg, SC Alizajane Hicks S.C. Press Association UofSC School of Journalism and Mass Communications Lindsey Hodges Index-Journal Greenwood, SC
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ATTENDEES Anne Howey Lancaster, SC
Kathy Kausler Florence, SC
Robert Howey The Lancaster News Lancaster, SC
Don Kausler Jr. President, S.C. Press Association Index-Journal Florence, SC
Cathy Hughes Presenter of Hall of Fame Inductee, Dean Livingston The Times and Democrat Orangeburg, SC Randy Hughes Friend of Hall of Fame Inductee, Dean Livingston Orangeburg, SC Molly Hulsey GSA Business Report Greenville, SC Andy Husk The Newberry Observer Newberry, SC Travis Jenkins The News & Reporter Chester, SC Rick Johnson The Lancaster News Lancaster, SC Heather Jones The Daniel Island News Daniel Island, SC Rachel Jones The Island Packet Hilton Head, SC Robert Jordan Index-Journal Greenwood, SC
Danny Kelly The Post and Courier Charleston, SC Holly Kemp Aiken Standard Aiken, SC Meg Kinnard Associated Press Columbia, SC Alexandra Koch Aiken Standard Aiken, SC Kati Kokal The Island Packet Hilton Head, SC
Dean Livingston Jr. Family of Hall of Fame Inductee, Dean Livingston Greenville, SC Jenna Livingston Family of Hall of Fame Inductee, Dean Livingston Greenville, SC Ruben Lowman North Myrtle Beach Times North Myrtle Beach, SC Allen Lowrimore Lancaster, SC Ashley Lowrimore The Lancaster News Lancaster, SC Jen Madden S.C. Press Association Columbia, SC Jeremi Madden Columbia, SC
Jordan Lawrence Lexington County Chronicle Lexington, SC
Andrea Maestre North Myrtle Beach Times North Myrtle Beach, SC
Diane Leclaire S.C. Press Association Columbia, SC
T.J. Martin The News & Reporter Chester, SC
Sebastian Lee S.C. Press Association UofSC School of Journalism and Mass Communications
Leigh Ann Maynard The Manning Times Manning, SC
Ian Livingston Brooking Waccamaw Publishers, Inc. Conway/Myrtle Beach, SC
James McBee The News & Reporter Chester, SC
ATTENDEES Mike McCombs The Island News Beaufort, SC
Bob Montgomery Herald-Journal Spartanburg, SC
Jake McElveen The Manning Times Manning, SC
Dale Morefield The Lancaster News Lancaster, SC
Dwayne McLemore The State Columbia, SC Clifton Metcalf Jr. AT&T Charlotte, NC John Monk The State Columbia, SC
Alex Ng Charleston Regional Business Journal Charleston, SC Ross Norton GSA Business Report Greenville, SC
Janet Morgan Waccamaw Publishers, Inc. Conway/Myrtle Beach, SC
Jack Osteen The Sumter Item Sumter, SC
Brent Neuberg Family of Hall of Fame Inductee, Ken Burger Chapin, SC
Charles Perry Waccamaw Publishers, Inc. Conway/Myrtle Beach, SC
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ATTENDEES Autumn Phillips Presenter of Hall of Fame Inductee, John Henry McCray The Post and Courier Charleston, SC
Jaliah Robinson Collegiate Journalist of the Year (Under 5,000) The Panther, Claflin University Orangeburg, SC
Tom Poland Columbia, SC
Edward Robinson Jr. Little River, SC
Ben Portnoy The State Columbia, SC
Marie Rocha-Tygh The Daniel Island News Daniel Island, SC
Deonca Robinson Little River, SC
Bill Rogers S.C. Press Association, Retired Columbia, SC
Eric P. Robinson UofSC School of Journalism and Mass Communications
Parks Rogers Lexington County Chronicle Lexington, SC Ken Ruinard Independent Mail Anderson, SC Nancy Sabol Myrtle Beach, SC Shawnakay Sampson Myrtle Beach, SC Randall Savely S.C. Newspaper Network Columbia, SC
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ATTENDEES Maayan Schechter The State Columbia, SC
Landon Stamper Aiken Standard Aiken, SC
Michael Schwartz Charleston, SC
Steve Stegelin Charleston City Paper Charleston, SC
Jake Shore The Island Packet Hilton Head, SC Danae Simmons Allen University Columbia, SC Gina Smith The State Columbia, SC Taylor Smith S.C. Press Association Harrison, Radeker & Smith P.A. Columbia, SC Chris Sokoloski Coastal Observer Pawleys Island, SC Rick Spruill Community Journals Greenville, SC
Ann Stevens (Dalton Williams) The Daniel Island News Daniel Island, SC
Larry Tarleton Presenter of Hall of Fame Inductee, Ken Burger The Post and Courier, Retired Charleston, SC Brian Tolley The State Columbia, SC Chris Trainor Index-Journal, Greenwood The State, Columbia
Bill Stevens (Dalton Williams) The Daniel Island News Daniel Island, SC
Matt Tranquill Morning News Florence, SC
Kasie Strickland The Sentinel-Progress Easley, SC
Kevin Trumpeter, PhD Dean of Arts & Humanities Allen University Columbia, SC
Greg Summers The Lancaster News Lancaster, SC
Steve Tygh Daniel Island, SC
Charles Swenson Coastal Observer Pawleys Island, SC
David Tyson Pageland, SC Vanessa Tyson Pageland Progressive Journal Pageland, SC
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ATTENDEES Dawn Vickery Barnwell, SC Jonathan Vickery The People-Sentinel Barnwell, SC Melinda Waldrop Columbia Regional Business Report Columbia, SC
Andrew Whitaker The Post and Courier Charleston, SC
Samantha Winn Aiken Standard Aiken, SC
Richard Whiting Index-Journal Greenwood, SC
Don Worthington Pageland Progressive Journal Pageland, SC
Andrew Wigger The Newberry Observer Newberry, SC
Elizabeth Walters Gannett Greenville, SC
Avery Wilks The Post and Courier Columbia, SC
Hal Welch The Journal Seneca, SC
Althea Wilson Sumter, SC
Gabe Whisnant Herald-Journal Spartanburg, SC
Kareem Wilson Sumter, SC Teddy Wilson Sumter, SC
Kassidy Wright S.C. Press Association Columbia, SC Rob Yerger Columbia, SC Brian Youngblood Moultrie News Mount Pleasant, SC Alex Zietlow The Herald Rock Hill, SC
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r u o e s i a r e W to you! s e s s a gl We appreciate you and are so proud of the work you do every day to keep South Carolinians informed. Today is a day to come together and celebrate your outstanding journalism! We've seen how hard you've worked over the past two years and we salute you – the most talented, hard working and caring people we know!
Your staff at the S.C. Press Association & S.C. Newspaper Network Jen, Randall, Kassidy, Diane, Lacey, Marlene, Taylor, Jay & Cathy
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Congratulations to all the winners of the SCPA 2021 News Contest. Your professionalism and commitment to excellence make our state an even better place in which to live and work. © 2022 AT&T Intellectual Property. AT&T and Globe logo are registered trademarks and service marks of AT&T Intellectual Property and/or AT&T affiliated companies. All other marks are the property of their respective owners.