A Letter from the President
If you had read reports in the daily newspapers shortly after our 72nd annual dinner on Oct. 14, you should know that this event broke all our previous attendance records. Some 400 people were present. As a matter of fact, our newsletter editor and historian Dan Friedlander tells me that there has not been this large a gathering at any similar journalism event in the Chicago area during the past 21 years.
We have Sun-Times columnist Stella Foster to thank for this huge turnout. On that same evening she was presented our Lifetime Achievement Award. She told me she wanted to make this our biggest dinner so we could walk away with a profit enabling our CJA Charitable Fund to continue to present $1,000 journalism scholarships to high school and college students. Stella was relentless in the pursuit of her goal.
It would not be fair to tell you that Stella was the only attraction. Fourteen journalists were honored and recipients of the Sarah Brown Boyden Award. It was heartening to see so many members of the broadcast media sitting at their respective tables to especially pay tribute to one of their own:
Lara Logan. The courageous CBS News’ chief foreign affairs correspondent, brutalized while covering the Egyptian uprising earlier this year, was given our 10th annual Daniel Pearl Award.
The print media was also there to support Stella, Chicago Tribune arts critic and writer Howard Reich (Chicago Journalist of the Year). A special honor went to Tribune columnist Mary Schmich and illustrator June Brigham for “keeping the Brenda Starr comic strip shining for the past 24 years.”
While we rely on obtaining our funding primarily from our annual dinner, we must seek other venues as we continue onward. It is imperative that all our members pay their dues, the lowest of any Chicago journalist organization. What is shameful is that
some members choose not to pay their annual dues. Granted, we are in hard times, but $30 for retirees and $50 for active members is not asking too much.
Certainly, financial contributions are needed to keep our ship afloat. But where would we be if not for the unselfish work by members of our board of directors? I have nothing but praise for these men and women –many who travel long distances- who constantly bring new ideas to the table and seek to make CJA the premier Chicago journalist organization. Our meetings are held once a month at the Rock Bottom restaurant and members are invited to attend.
While our nation remains far from an economic recovery, there is encouraging news on our front. Requests for membership applications have accelerated since the dinner and our search for a permanent exhibit for many of our documents, dating as far back as the founding of our association in 1939, has ended. The retention, cataloging and preservation of these materials will be placed in the Columbia College Chicago Archives. Work will start on the exhibit in January, 2012.
We will be scheduling our first seminar in several years this February and will inform you of the details shortly. Our website continues to get requests from journalists overseas, the latest from Australia and The Netherlands. Kudos to Phil Moy who manages the domain.
Hope that all of you can attend our holiday party, which is to be held Dec. 19 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Rock Bottom, located at Grand and State.
Best wishes to all of you and your families for a most joyous holiday season.
Allen Rafalson, CJA President
Contact Allen by e-mail.