In light of this historical issue of Quill, SPJ Report has gone deep into the archives to highlight chapter and other SPJ news from the past 100 years. Following are a few selections of news briefs from previous issues:
From the January/February
2000 issue:
The Detroit Metro Chapter protested proposed restrictions on media access to prisoners in Michigan. Chapter president Jack Kresnak said the restrictions proposed by the state Department of Corrections would end the quality of information on Michigan prisons and prisoners. The chapter’s board of directors approved a resolution, and copies were sent to the State Department of Corrections, Gov. John Engler and legislators. The resolution says, “a government agency’s credibility can be profoundly undermined” if access to information about its operations is restricted….
From the September 1998 issue:
Listed below are the Society’s 10 largest professional chapters as of June 15, 1998, the day annual reports are due.
1. Washington, D.C. Pro: 557
2. Chicago Headline Club: 404
3. New York Deadline Club: 360
4. Los Angeles Pro: 272
5. Northern California Pro: 247
6. Press Club of Long Island: 165
7. Western Washington Pro: 165
8. Detroit Pro: 161
9. Cleveland Pro: 157
10. Minnesota Pro: 147
From the April 1985 issue:
Jacob A. Meckstroth, a member of SPJ/SDX for seventy-three years — believed to be a record for the longest continuous membership in the Society — died in Columbus, Ohio, February 9. He was ninety-seven years old.
Meckstroth joined Sigma Delta Chi [ed note: formerly the Society’s official name] in 1912 while a journalism student at Ohio State University. He received his degree from OSU that year, a member of the first journalism class to graduate from the university….
From the January 1979 issue:
More than 200 audio cassette tapes of convention speeches and panel discussions have already been sold to conventioneers and other Society members. Tapes of the speech by New York Timesman Myron Farber and the freedom of information panel are getting the most orders….
Cassettes of speeches by Jody Powell, Peter Jacobi, Allen Neuharth and Keith Fuller are $5 each. Longer tapes of the Bob Schieffer and Farber speeches and the four panel discussions are $6 each.
When ordering one to five cassettes, add $1 for postage and handling; for six to nine, add $2. If all 10 cassettes are ordered, a cassette album will be included at no cost, and no postage and handling fee will be required.
All orders must be prepaid. Cassettes will not be shipped until personal checks have cleared….
From the July 1962 issue:
The George Polk Journalism Club of the Long Island University department of journalism was chartered May
31 as the Society’s 80th Undergraduate (sic) chapter.
President Buren H. McCormack presented the charter to Steven Shifman, president of the chapter. Other students initiated by a team from the New York Deadline Club included Malcolm J. Barach, Arthur E. Feeney, Kenneth Irsay, Stephen Seplow and Francois L. Sheats. Lee Arnstein will be initiated later.
Bill Arthur, president, represented the Deadline Club, and Robert O. Shipman, assistant dean, represented the special chapter at Columbia University. Dr. Jacob H. Jaffe, head of the Long Island University department, will be chapter adviser.
From the January 1932 issue:
Senator James E. Watson, of Indiana, and Bernarr Macfadden, owner of the New York Graphic, Philadelphia Daily News, Liberty and other publications, were guests of honor at the eighth annual dinner-meeting of the Indianapolis alumni of Sigma Delta Chi, professional journalistic fraternity, recently. Senator Watson spoke on his contacts with the press and the attitude of presidents he has known toward the newspapers. Macfadden spoke on tabloid journalism, asserting that the newspaper of the future will be tabloid in size.…
From the June 1927 issue:
Thirty students in industrial journalism at the Oregon Agricultural College were taken through Portland, Ore., newspaper, printing and engraving plants under the auspices of the Oregon State chapter of Sigma Delta Chi, March 25. The students were special luncheon guests of the Portland Telegram. Other plants visited were the Morning Oregonian, James, Kerns and Abbott Printing Company, and the West Coast Engraving Company.
