Ohio State grads take top honors at Black Journalists convention

 

 

By Felix Hoover

For Your News Columbus

July 31, 2010

 

 

Two of the top honorees at this year’s convention for the National Association of Black Journalists have strong ties to Ohio State University, including one of the founding members of the historic organization.

 

Paul Delaney, 77, a graduate in journalism from OSU, received the Lifetime Achievement Award at this year’s convention in San Diego, and James Hawkins, who received his doctorate from OSU in 1977, received Educator of the Year honors.

 

Delaney, one of the 44 founding members of NABJ, began his career during the Civil Rights era at the Atlanta Daily World before coming back to Ohio to work at the Dayton Daily News. His 23-year climb through the ranks at the New York Times included stints as bureau chief in Madrid, Spain, and as senior editor for newsroom administration.

 

Delaney, who was born in Montgomery, Ala., returned to his native state in 1992 as the first African-American chair of the journalism department at the University of Alabama.

 

Hawkins, dean of the school of journalism and graphic communication at Florida A&M University, said he was humbled when he received notice about the educator award from NABJ.

 

In a recent interview with Your News Columbus, he said that he stays in touch with local folks from the past. When he was a graduate student at Ohio State he worked at then-WLWC-TV, now NBC 4, and at WOSU-TV.

 

“I left Ohio State with my doctorate in 1977, went to FAMU as an associate professor and have been there ever since,” he said.

 

Frank W. Hale Jr., vice provost and professor emeritus at OSU, gets credits for attracting Hawkins to Buckeye country, and Keith Brooks, former chairman of the School of Communication, for encouraging him to stick with the program.

 

Brooks often reminded Hawkins that few black men had received doctorates in communication then.

 

The connection with Hale reached back to Oakwood College. Hale was president of the school in Oakwood, Ala., when Hawkins was an undergrad.

 

Columbus usually has a sizeable delegation at NABJ’s annual conference, but not this year.

 

Liz Cook, assistant director, media relations at Ohio State and recording secretary for the Columbus Association of Black Journalists, is the only current officer from the local chapter at this year’s event.

 

The National Association of Black Journalist, founded on Dec. 12, 1975, is the nation’s largest organization of journalists of color.