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James Stanford Bradshaw, CMU faculty member, 1969-'83
James Stanford Bradshaw "sat in a chair, not at the front of the classroom,
but in the middle of it. He sat with his legs stretched out, his hands
folded over his stomach, ringed by a semicircle of students. And he taught,"
wrote Jim Knight, sports editor of The Ann Arbor News and 1986 graduate.
And as he taught he offered his own worldly vision of journalism to students in his history and reporting classes, according to former students.
He regaled students with stories from his days as a reporter as he taught
his students the lessons they would need to succeed, they said.
"He taught us by telling us stories, real stories about fantastic places with big names," wrote Knight. "He taught us by being a tough, gruff editor. And he taught us by being passionate about his interests."
"Ultimately the highest compliment I can pay him is that he was right,"
he wrote. "His teachings have served me for the past 19 years at daily
newspapers as a reporter and an editor." After retiring, Bradshaw taught
journalism in Xiamen, China, for a year.
Bradshaw earned a master's degree from the University of Michigan in 1947 and spent 20 years working as a writer and reporter on assignments that took him around the world before joining the CMU faculty in 1968. As part of the Fulbright Scholar Program, he taught in Kingston, Jamaica, in 1977-'78.
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James Hough, CMU alum '58, retired columnist, Lansing State Journal
James Hough became a stringer with the Lansing State Journal while
attending CMU in the 1950s. After graduating in 1958, he became a full-time
staffer, first working from Mount Pleasant and later transferring to Lansing,
launching a career in community journalism highlighted by his column, “The
Onlooker.”
“Written in his warm, down-to-earth style, ‘The Onlooker’ made things happen,”
wrote David C. Smith, editor-at-large for Ward’s Communication, publisher
of Ward’s Auto World. “He helped the downtrodden and successfully supported a variety of community projects with his wit and powers of persuasion. And he did all of this while legally blind."
“Jim’s walls are covered with awards and citations of every description,
attesting to his contributions to Lansing and the nation,” he wrote. “In
2000 he was elected to the Michigan Journalism Hall of Fame, a singular
honor afforded to the elite in his field. Given his long association with
CMU, his studies there and his exceptional career, I think it is only fitting
that he be highly considered for induction into the CMU Journalism Hall
of Fame.”
Hough was responsible for implementing such community service programs as a Christmas dinner delivery program for the elderly through Volunteers of America, a Braille subscribers service through the Michigan State Library for the Blind, a Friends of the Zoo Society through the Potter Park Zoo, and a Christmas toy project for children through the R.J. Scheffel Memorial Project.
He also crusaded for people with disabilities and championed several state
laws that help people with disabilities, including Braille markings on
elevators. His columns culminated in a citation from former President Richard
Nixon, presented to him by former Gov. G. Mennen Williams.
The gymnasium at the Salvation Army in Lansing is named after Hough, and
he received the non-profit organization’s highest award after his column
spearheaded a $1.3 million campaign to build new facilities. The Michigan
Bar Association and the Ingham County Bar Association presented Hough with
the Liberty Bell Award for his “contributions to an orderly society.”
Hough has published two books — collections of his “Onlooker” columns and
“Right
at Home” — from columns he writes for Michigan Country
Lines, a magazine that reaches 300,000 rural electric cooperative customers.
Proceeds of the latter fund a scholarship for college-bound rural students.
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Ralph Langer, attended CMU 1955 through 1957, former editor and executive vice president of The Dallas Morning News
“Ralph Langer is one of the most extraordinary professionals and human
beings I have ever known," wrote Carole Brandt, dean, Algur H. Meadows
chair and professor of theater at Southern Methodist University. "As a
professional he is thoughtful, wise, ethical, fair, knowledgeable, analytical
and extremely skilled. As a human being, he is caring and kind, passionate
and rational, witty and fun."
Langer, who attended CMU from 1955 to 1957, served in a variety of media capacities during that time: columnist, reporter and photographer for Central Michigan Life, photography editor of the Chippewa yearbook and sports and events photographer for Information Services, now public relations and marketing.
Since earning a bachelor of arts degree in journalism and psychology from
the University of Michigan, he has worked as reporter, editor and photographer
for the Grand Haven Tribune, the Port Angeles (Wash.) Daily News,
the Detroit Free Press, the Dayton Journal Herald and the
Everett
(Wash.) Herald. He was promoted five times since joining
The Dallas
Morning News as managing editor in 1981; his title upon retirement
in 1999 was editor and executive vice president.
Langer most recently taught ethics classes and served as executive-in-residence
and interim chairman of the journalism department at Southern Methodist
University, where he helped raise $5 million to construct a state-of-the-art
digital newsroom and to fund the Belo Distinguished Chair of Journalism.
He is past president of the Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas,
the Press Club of Dallas and the national Associated Press Managing Editors
Association; a former director of the American Society of Newspaper Editors;
and founding president of the National Freedom of Information Coalition
and the Council of Presidents, a coalition of leaders of all national journalism
organizations.
His awards include the James Madison Award from the Freedom of Information
Foundation of Texas, the Jack Douglas Award for Distinguished Service from
the Texas Associated Press Managing Editor Association, Editor of the Year
from the National Press Photographers Association and Outstanding Professor
at Southern Methodist University.
The paper’s former publisher, Burl Osborne, wrote: “Ralph Langer’s record
at The Dallas Morning News speaks for itself — finding talented
people, dramatically increasing inclusiveness within the staff, managing
with skill both up and down the organization, raising the level of writing
and sophistication, successfully leading news through a widely publicized
newspaper war and, by the way, collecting half a dozen Pulitzer prizes
for the paper.”
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David C. Smith, attended CMU 1954 -'56, editor-at-large for Ward's Communications
“David Smith did not graduate from CMU, but his impact on the journalism
school’s future was great and his subsequent professional career leaves
no doubt of his posture and acclaim in the world of journalism,” wrote
James Hough, retired Lansing State Journal columnist and 1958 graduate.
Smith, who graduated from the University of Michigan after attending CMU
for three years, initially wanted to become a school teacher when he began
taking classes after serving in the Korean War. “But all that changed when
he took a couple of elective courses in journalism from the great Gilbert
Maienknecht,” according to Hough.
While at CMU he wrote news releases and compiled statistics in the public
relations office and served as sports editor of CM Life. After graduation
he worked as a columnist for the Detroit Times until the newspaper
folded. In subsequent years he worked for the Toledo Blade, the
Wall
Street Journal and the Detroit Free Press.
“But David’s real place in journalism came more than 20 years ago when
he gained international fame as editor and columnist for Ward’s Communication,
publisher of Ward’s Auto World --- longtime Bible of the auto industry,” Hough wrote.
“David Smith shepherded the growth of Ward’s Auto World and developed
it into one of the automotive industry’s most respected trade journals,”
wrote G. Richard Wagoner Jr., president and chief executive officer of
General Motors Corp. “Under Dave’s watch, Ward’s cemented its reputation
as a consistent outlet for hard-hitting, fair and often exclusive industry
news. In the process his name and the name of the publication became inextricably
linked.
“Dave not only came to personify Ward’s, but also the image of what a journalist
can and should be,” he wrote.
“I’ve known Dave since our days at the old Detroit Times,” wrote
Mitch Kehetian, editorial page editor at the Macomb Daily and former
CMU trustee. “He is a deserving nominee and a credit to CMU’s School of
Journalism.”
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Jim Wojcik, CMU alum 1965 & '68, former director of CMU publications 1972-2000
Jim Wojcik earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from CMU in 1965 and
1968, respectively.
“He hasn’t won the Pulitzer Prize for reporting or claimed the editorship
of a major newspaper, but without a doubt, Jim Wojcik is one of the most
respected individuals in Michigan journalism,” wrote Richard Fitzgerald,
Ypsilanti managing editor for The Ann Arbor News and a 1975 graduate.
"If Gil Maienknecht is the father of the journalism program at CMU, then
Jim Wojcik is the heart and soul," he wrote. "I can think of no more fitting
way to celebrate the selfless dedication of Jim Wojcik to so many others
than to honor him with induction this year into the CMU Journalism Hall
of Fame."
In his capacity as director of student publications, Wojcik became not
only a teacher and mentor, but also a friend, confidante, surrogate parent,
career counselor, therapist, recruiter, comedian and devil's advocate for
hundreds of CMU students, according to his nominators.
"From my perspective, there is no other journalism instructor who has influenced
my career more," wrote Tom Marquardt, executive editor at Capital-Gazette
Newspapers and a 1970 graduate. "Jim was a mentor who became well-respected for his judicious blend of humor and frank advice. I am sure I speak for many who took great comfort in the personal attention he gave each of us, no matter what our skill level. No matter how badly we failed, he remained encouraging."
Wojcik helped create the Lem Tucker Journalism Scholarship Program, assisted with launching the Professionals-in-Residence program on the CMU campus and was a key player in establishing the CMU Journalism Hall of Fame.
He was named 2002 Citizen of the Year by the Mount Pleasant Chamber of
Commerce for his involvement with Central Michigan Hospital, United Way,
the Mount Pleasant Public Schools and other community events, and in April
was named one of three CMU faculty members to receive a distinguished service
award.
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Cheerie Anderson
Honorary membership will be bestowed on Cheerie Anderson, 1961-'63 Central Michigan Life photographer, the only known Life staff member killed while on assignment
The only CMU student killed while working for Central Michigan Life, Cheerie Anderson was driving with her fiancé, John Carroll, along M-20 in Mount Pleasant on Palm Sunday, 1963, when they noticed a fire truck. They followed it to the Campus Grill, where the Student Book Store stands now.
As Carroll, a volunteer fireman, helped out, Anderson began shooting pictures of the burning building. A few minutes later Carroll heard a roar of falling bricks and debris on the south side of the building, and the sounds of screaming people.
“Walking along the street opposite the burning building, I observed victims
being removed from the pile of bricks,” Carroll wrote. “As I approached
one victim lying in the street the shock struck me that it was Cheerie.”
Anderson and two other students died when a cornice, bricks and marquee
collapsed.
The Cheboygan High School graduate and CMU music major met Carroll when
both performed with the CMU Marching Band. After changing her major to
journalism, she planned to secure a summer job as a reporter and photographer
for the Cheboygan Daily Tribune.
She and Carroll planned to marry that August.
“After learning about the CMU Journalism Hall of Fame, I thought this might
be proper recognition for the only Central Michigan Life staff member to die while performing her duties as a student journalist,” Carroll said.
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