California Press Association

Hall of Fame

 California's colorful, early-day newspapers and newspapermen have always evoked keen interest in the journalism fraternity, especially since several communities began observing their centennials, or when a new book recalls old times.

One such occasion was Mariposa's 1954 celebration of the 100th birthday of the oldest courthouse in California, which had been in continuous use for a full century. Judge Thomas Coakley publicly speculated that the Mariposa Gazette was the oldest newspaper in continuous publication in California. This statement sparked renewed discussion of early-day newspaper history. With this as background, Director John H. McCoy of the School of Journalism, University of Southern California, in a talk at the California Press Association conference held at San Francisco in early December 1956, suggested the idea of a hall of fame. It was enthusiastically received and immediately acted upon.

Justus F. Craemer, long-time president of CPA, named Lowell E. Jessen, Turlock Journal publisher and California Newspaper Publishers Association past president, and McCoy, chairman and secretary, respectively, to work with him on a Hall of Fame Committee. Among start-up problems was a long-time rivalry between Northern and Southern California. Also a fundamental problem was selection of a committee sponsor. Should it be CPA, whose membership is composed of individual editors and publishers and their families, or the California Newspaper Publishers Association, which represents most California newspapers and has active programs for representing and serving the newspaper profession in a wide variety of ways? To cover all bases in forming a statewide hall of fame the committee conferred with press clubs and journalism fraternities in both ends of the state. Craemer and Jessen appointed an executive committee. The following members attended a spring 1957 meeting in San Francisco: Immediate Past President Seymour Sterling, publisher of the Sanger Herald; and General Manager John B. Long of CNPA; J. Hart Clinton, publisher of the San Mateo Times; Ben Reddick, publisher of the Newport Beach News-Press; Philip N. McCombs, secretary-treasurer of the CPA; Craemer, Jessen and McCoy.

Problems in and objectives of organizing the hall of fame were reviewed and discussed in detail. Prior inquiry found CNPA endorsing CPA as sponsor of the hall of fame. At this and several subsequent meetings, the executive committee concluded that the organizing committee and the judging committee to elect nominees to the hall of fame should be separate. It decided also that to prevent any misunderstanding between newspapers, television and radio about eligible nominees, this particular Hall of Fame appertained to newspapers only. Hence, the decision to name it the California Newspaper Hall of Fame.

Other decisions included: The first judging committee would be composed of appointees from the CPA, CNPA, press clubs and men's and women's journalism societies, north and south.

Nominations to the California Newspaper Hall of Fame could be made by any active newspaper man or woman and by any publisher who had five years or more experience on California newspapers.

For the pilot years, while experience was being gained by which to set up a permanent organization, nominations would be confined to California newspaper people who made outstanding contributions in the period from the beginning of the territory and the State of California to and including the year 1860.

Although nominations of living candidates already had been received, the executive committee reasoned that, with no prior experience, a judging committee would have great difficulty in weighing relative merits of early-day and latter-day nominees. Also, to avoid possible attempts to influence the judges, a policy of advancing by specific time periods would be advantageous.

Tentative deadlines were set up for receipt of nominations, for assignment to participating schools and departments of journalism for research papers; for appointment of judges, submission of research papers to them, and date for final decisions; also for printing of appropriate keepsakes to be presented to members of families, and to newspapers most closely associated with honorees.

Joseph R. Knowland, veteran publisher of The Oakland Tribune, was named chairman of the first judging committee. He was past president of the Native Sons of the Golden West, past president of the California Historical Society and long-time chairman of the State Board of Beaches and Parks.

Named to serve with him were Charles L. Palmer, Homer D. King, Marc N. Goodnow and Paul P. Parker, representing the CNPA; Ed M. Ainsworth, Ray Lovett, William Shea and Vern McCann, the CPA; Warden Woolard, Los Angeles Press Club; Bob Cavagnaro, San Francisco Press Club; Wanda Phillips, Los Angeles, and Mrs. V.M, Hanks, San Francisco, representing Theta Sigma Phi; John B. Long, Los Angeles, and Edmond Coblentz, San Francisco, of Sigma Delta Chi.

In 1957 the five schools and departments of journalism assigning research papers to graduate or senior journalism students were Fresno State University, University of California, California State University Sacramento, University of Southern California, and San Jose State University. In subsequent years, Stanford University, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo; California State University, Long Beach, San Diego State University and others participated.

Judges were requested to keep their decisions secret, in order to provide an element of surprise when awards were presented at the California Newspaper Hall of Fame banquet to be held Friday night, Dec. 5, 1957, at the Hotel Clift, San Francisco.

A capacity crowd cheered the announcement by Judging Committee Chairman Knowland that James King of William, San Francisco Bulletin, Robert Baylor Semple and Walter Colton, both of the early-day Californian, were the first to be elected to the California Newspaper Hall of Fame.

To assure continued high quality selections by the judging committee in succeeding years, the executive committee adopted the following guidelines to be sent to each judge as appointed each year:

"Purpose of the California Newspaper Hall of Fame is to honor newspaper men and women whose outstanding devotion to their responsibilities resulted in substantial contributions to their regions and to the development of California.

"For example, James King of William was shot and killed because he exposed crime and gambling conditions in San Francisco. His courage led to formation of vigilante committees that cleaned up the city. Editor William S. Green of Colusa originated and successfully fought for irrigation and other developments of great benefit to central and northern California.

"To be eligible for election to the California Newspaper Hall of Fame, nominees must have rendered positive and valuable service of statewide significance."

Several suggestions were made during the first few years for repositories in which to exhibit and place research papers, photographs and other information about honorees and nominees. One suggestion was Colton Hall, Monterey. Another was San Simeon. Another was to establish a hall of fame section in one of the university or college libraries.

Committeemen seeking information about pioneer newspapermen found a valuable source of material in the state library, Sacramento.

Allan R. Ottley, California section librarian, furnished photostat copies and pictures of irreplaceable materials.

Further, Gov. Edmund G. Brown suggested a display booth in Governors Hall in which the California Library might exhibit California Hall of Fame research papers, plaques and pictures.

Since this would not entail continuing expense to the public, the California State Library was chosen as the permanent repository.

Several newspapers interested in nominees formerly associated with them paid for and obtained satisfactory research papers. The California Newspaper Hall of Fame is inviting all newspapers to obtain research papers on deceased prominent newspaper men and women and submit them to the hall of fame. Copies will be placed in the California State Library. These will be studied by a screening committee.

As experience was gained, the executive committee agreed that reducing the number to be elected each year would make the awards more distinctive.

Therefore, they reduced the quota gradually till just one would be elected each year.

Time solved another difficult problem, that of honoring living publishers. For, after faithfully serving the California Press Association as president for 20 years, Justus F. Craemer died. In his honor the CPA established the Justus F. Craemer Publisher of the Year award. This automatically relieved the pressure building up to elect living newspaper men and women to the California Newspaper Hall of Fame.

The Hall of Fame Committee consists of Fred Weybret, Lodi News-Sentinel, chairman; Carlton R. Appleby, Escondido Times-Advocate, Harry F. Casey, King City Rustler; Newton Wallace, Winters Express; Stuart S. Taylor, Santa Barbara News-Press; Walter Kane of Bakersfield, and Philip N. McCombs, CPA secretary-treasurer.

-- By Lowell E. Jessen

(Mr. Jessen, publisher of the Turlock Journal, was chairman of the Hall of Fame Committee from 1957 to 1975. Cal Press inducted him into the Hall in 1978.)

The foregoing is the Introduction to "Editors West," a 1978 compilation of the California Newspaper Hall of Fame honorees from 1957 to 1977. The paperback booklet was presented in conjunction with the 100th Anniversary of the California Press Association, Palace Hotel, San Francisco. Production of the book was made possible through a grant from the William Randolph Hearst Foundation.  Professor John Healey of the Journalism Department of California Polytechnic State University at San Luis Obispo edited the book. It was designed by James Hutchinson of the Graphic Communications Department at Cal Poly and was produced by students in the Journalism and Graphic Communications Departments at Cal Poly. Credit is also given to those who submitted Hall of Fame research papers on which the biographical backgrounds used in the book were based.

About California Press Association Awards
The California Press Association gives public recognition to outstanding newspaper people of the state, past and present, with the most coveted award "election to the California Newspaper Hall of Fame" in California journalism. The recipients of these honors are announced at the annual winter meeting.

Names of Honorees by year of induction:

1957
James King of William
San Francisco Bulletin

Robert Baylor Semple
and Walter Colton
The Californian, Monterey

1958
William S. Green
Colusa Sun

M. H. de Young and
Charles de Young
San Francisco Chronicle

Sam Brannan
California Star

1959
Loren Upson
Sacramento Union

James McClatchy
The Bee Newspapers

John Nugent
San Francisco Herald

1960
W. P. Bartlett
Livermore Herald

Henry Kuchel
Anaheim Gazette

Duncan McPherson
Santa Cruz Sentinel

1961
Col. Harrison Gray Otis
Los Angeles Times

Charles Albert Storke
Los Angeles Daily Herald, Santa Barbara News and Independent

1962
William Randolph Hearst
Hearst Newspapers

James Anthony
Sacramento Union

1963
Fremont Older
San Francisco Chronicle,
San Francisco Call,
San Francisco Bulletin

1964
Chester H. Rowell
Fresno Republican,
San Francisco Chronicle

1965
William F. Prisk
Pasadena Star-News,
Long Beach Press-Telegram

1966
Irving Martin
Stockton Record

1967
Friend W. Richardson
Berkeley Gazette

1968
C. F. McGlashan
Truckee Republican

1969
Alfred Harrell
Bakersfield Californian

1970
James A. Guthrie
San Bernardino Sun-Telegram

1971
Justus F. Craemer
San Rafael Independent-Journal

1972
Joseph R. Knowland
The Oakland Tribune

1973
Thomas M. Storke
Santa Barbara News-Press

1974
Edward Kemble
Sacramento Union

1975
Paul C. Edwards
San Francisco News

1976
Edward W. Scripps
Scripps-Howard Newspapers

1977
Ernest L. Finley
Santa Rosa Press Democrat

1978
Lowell Jessen
Turlock Journal

1979
R. C. Hoiles
Santa Ana Register

1980
James G. Piratsky
Watsonville Pajaronian

1981
Dan Beebe
Oroville Mercury Register

1982
James S. Copley
The Copley Press

1983
Paul R. Leake
The Daily Democrat, Woodland

1984
Homer W. Wood
Porterville Recorder

1985
Crombie Allen
The Daily Report, Ontario

1986
Robert Allen Griffin
Monterey Peninsula Herald

1987
Gordon Hadley
Arcata Union

1988
Frederick Godfrey Vivian
King City Rustler

1989
Eleanor McClatchy
McClatchy Newspapers

1990
A. W. Bramwell
Chico Enterprise-Record

1991
Bill Chalfant
Inyo Register

1992
C. K. McClatchy
McClatchy Newspapers

1993
Almon T. Richardson
Pomona Progress

1994
Telford Work
Los Angeles Daily Journal

1995
Edward Gilbert
Alta California

1996
George Murphy Jr.
Manteca Bulletin

1997
Robert C. Maynard
Oakland Tribune

1998
Harry Lutgens
San Rafael Independent

1999
Julius Gius
Ventura Star-Free Press

2000
Dean Lesher
Contra Costa Times

2001
Cornelius De Bakcsy
Fontana Herald

2002
Celeste Murphy
The Sonoma
Index-Tribune

2003
Harry Casey
King City Rustler

2004
Harvey McGee
The Union Democrat, Sonora

2005
Everett Bey
Feather River Bulletin, Quincy

2006
John Budd Long
CNPA, Sacramento

2007
Stanley T. Wilson
Turlock Daily Journal

2008
Carroll W. Parcher
Glendale News-Press

2009
C.K. McClatchy
The McClatchy Co.