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Indiana's Oldest College Newspaper, The DePauw, to Hold 150th Anniversary Celebration

Indiana's Oldest College Newspaper, The DePauw, to Hold 150th Anniversary Celebration

January 9, 2002

Student working on a news story on the computerJanuary 9, 2002, Greencastle, Ind. - The DePauw, the student newspaper that spawned the careers of dozens of America's best journalists, including Eugene C. Pulliam, James B. Stewart and Bernard Kilgore, as well as the national journalism honorary fraternity now known as the Society of Professional Journalists, turns 150 years old on April 7, 2002. The milestone will be marked by an anniversary celebration on the DePauw University campus April 5-6, 2002, to be attended by a number of prominent alumni of The DePauw.

Highlights of the weekend will include a keynote address Friday evening, April 5th by Robert Giles, a 1955 graduate of DePauw and veteran editor who is presently curator of The Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard University. Saturday morning, a series of small symposia on topics related to the media will be held in Watson Forum of the Pulliam Center for Contemporary Media. In the evening, past and present staffers of The DePauw will gather to celebrate the paper's anniversary, and share their personal stories of how their experiences at The DePauw shaped their careers and lives.

David Hall, Eugene S. Pulliam Distinguished Visiting Professor of Journalism at DePauw and the Pulitzer Prize-winning former editor of the Denver Post and Cleveland Plain Dealer says, Video Link [DOWNLOAD VIDEO: "DePauw's Tradition" 945KB] Video Link [DOWNLOAD VIDEO: "DePauw's Difference" 919KB] Audio Link[DOWNLOAD AUDIO: "DePauw's Difference" 421KB]

The list of alumni of The DePauw reads like a who's who in journalism:

Bernard Kilgore '29, the former managing editor of the Wall Street Journal, was named "Business Journalist of the Century." According to Hall, Kilgore "fashioned the Wall Street Journal into a newspaper of wide national appeal among the cognoscente. It was Kilgore who introduced rigorous professional standards. He was an editor who became a role model for the industry." His legacy continues through the Kilgore Fund, which brings experienced professional journalists to campus each semester to work with students and critique the paper.

Eugene C. Pulliam '10, a co-founder of Sigma Delta Chi (The Society of Professional Journalists) while a DePauw student in 1909, he owned 46 newspapers over the course of his career, including the Indianapolis Star and Arizona Republic. His son, Eugene S. Pulliam '35, was publisher of the Indianapolis Star and the Indianapolis News from 1975 until his death in 1999. Under his leadership, the Star won two Pulitzer Prizes. The DePauw owes its independence to an endowment established by the Pulliam family.

Robert Giles '55, curator, The Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard University; former president, American Society of Newspaper Editors; former director of The Freedom Forum Center in New York; former editor of the Detroit News.

W. Donald Maxwell '29, former editor of the Chicago Tribune.

John McWethy '69, ABC News Pentagon Correspondent

James Stewart '73, author of the best-selling books Den of Thieves, Blood Sport and Blind Eye; Pulitzer Prize-winning former front page editor of the Wall Street Journal, and currently editor-at-large of SmartMoney magazine and a contributor to the New Yorker.

Meg Kissinger '79, reporter for the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.

David Greising '82, business columnist for the Chicago Tribune and author of a biography of former Coca-Cola CEO Roberto C. Goizeuta.

Mary Leonard '70, reporter for the Boston Globe.

Kenneth C. Hogate '18, was named managing editor of the Wall Street Journal at age 26, and introduced stock-market quotes to the paper. He rose to become chairman of the board of Dow Jones & Co.

Other alums of The DePauw who've worked on the Wall Street Journal include:

  • Buren McCormack '30, managing editor;
  • Robert L. Bottorff '29, executive editor;
  • Theodore E. Calles '30, advertising director;
  • Aaron Lucchetti '96, staff writer.

Letters have been sent to some 1,400 alumni of The DePauw, many of whom are expected to attend the weekend celebration. Video Link [DOWNLOAD VIDEO: "Sharing the Legacy" 703KB] Video Link [DOWNLOAD VIDEO: "Connecting" 477KB] Audio Link[DOWNLOAD AUDIO: "Connecting" 231KB] "We're trying to connect the past, the present and the future of The DePauw to share these memories with each other and to make some personal connections," says the current editor, senior Megan Hockley. (BONUS CLIP-- Hockley on the impact of working on the paper on students' lives: Audio Link[DOWNLOAD AUDIO: "Quintessential Experience" 297KB])

A completely independent, student staffed and managed not-for-profit organization, The DePauw was founded in 1852 as Asbury Notes, reflecting the name of the University, then known as Indiana Asbury University. The Notes heralded itself as a journal devoted to moral, intellectual, physical and aesthetic improvements. Once a daily paper, The DePauw is published most Tuesdays and Fridays of the school year. In 1935, students raised their own money to construct the Publications Building, located near Roy O. West Library. The building served as the paper's home until 1991, when The DePauw moved into space it leases at the Center for Contemporary Media.

The traditions of independence and excellence continue to this day. The DePauw was named Indiana's best non-daily college newspaper by the Indiana Collegiate Press Association in 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000 and 2001. The DePauw's reporters, editors and photographers have received numerous awards from the Indiana Collegiate Press Association, Hoosier State Press Association and the Society of Professional Journalists in recent years. (BONUS CLIP-- David Hall on The DePauw's reputation: Audio Link[DOWNLOAD AUDIO: "Reputation" 635KB]

A commemorative edition of The DePauw, which will highlight the paper's rich history, will be distributed on April 5.

Media organizations are invited to cover the 150th anniversary celebration, which promises to include a reunion of some big names in journalism, history, sentiment and opportunities to discuss the state of journalism today. Reporters and alumni seeking more information about The DePauw's 150th can e-mail the anniversary committee by clicking here or contact Ken Owen, director of media relations at DePauw, at (765) 658-4634.

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