AWARDS/MERITS

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Roy Beck of the Grand Rapids Press has been awarded the Izaak Walton League of America's Honor Roll Award for outstanding reporting in the field of conservation and ecology.  The Honor Roll Award, started in 1959, is one of the League's most prestigious awards given to individuals or groups outside the League for conservation, publicity, and public information in conjunction with Izaak Walton League activities.  Beck now joins a list of recipients that include Huntley-Brinkley of NBC News, Arthur Godfrey, The Chicago Tribune and The Miami Herald.  Nominees are submitted from across the nation by Izaak Walton league chapters and are carefully judged by state, regional and national committees before the award is given.  Beck was one of two national recipients this year for his reporting on area environmental issues. (CC to Grand Rapids Press).

1996 4th of July Program, Marshfield, MO. featuring Roy Howard Beck, Parade Marshall and Guest Speaker.

LINCOLN, Neb. (UMNS) — Seven top awards, including a first ever "Communicator of the Year" in the United Methodist Church, and 24 others highlighted the annual meeting of the United Methodist Association of Communicators (UMAC) here Nov. 11-13.  Gathering around the theme, "Empowering Communicators," some 60 persons heard a theologian issue a challenge to the church and to church communicators and took part in four professional courses they pronounced "helpful" and "excellent."  UMAC's second annual awards competition (the first was in 1981) saw Roy Howard Beck, an associate editor of the United Methodist Reporter, declared "Communicator of the Year." This is a new honor developed by the Awards Committee in consultation with UMAC president J. Richard Peck, editor of Newscope, in the words of the committee, to, "single out one who has done especially outstanding work in communications."  Mr. Beck was honored for the whole of his work submitted in the UMAC Awards competition, including a spring 1981 Reporter series on the church in Cuba, a fall 1981 series on a Southern Africa conference in New York, a spring 1982 series on the church and Salvadoran refugees, and a spring and summer series on the situation surrounding former mayor Eddie Carthan, Tchula, Miss., and the controversy over consultation on grants by the National Division, General Board of Global Ministries, to groups in Mississippi.  The judges' citation to Mr. Beck said he "deserves the commendation because the entries involve investigative reporting and go beyond merely recording something that transpires in a given setting. The drive, initiative and persistence are characteristic of the best reporters in the commercial print media."  The Missouri-born former Cincinnati Enquirer business reporter also won one of the six "Awards of Excellence" granted tor the first time by UMAC. That recognition was or the Mississippi series. Mr. Beck is a graduate of the University of Missouri. He has worked for the Grand Rapids Press and the Columbia Missourian. 

... The news writing - weekly newspaper category was dominated by the excellent professional work of the staff of the United Methodist Reporter of Dallas, Tex. The greatest competition was among Reporter staff writers.  The entries by Roy Howard Beck on coverage of Salvadoran refugees and of the Mississippi controversy, although written in different styles, both merit the highest consideration for the top rating.  Beck's entries deserve commendation because they involve investigative reporting and go beyond merely recording something that transpires at a given setting, such as a meeting. He exhibits the drive, initiative and persistence characteristic of the best reporters in commercial print media, qualities not observed as often in the institutional press.  It is refreshing to see in the Reporter a willingness to tie into the controversial, difficult and risky (to the reporter and paper) social issues that could easily be sloughed off or be covered only superficially.  From the readership standpoint, Beck's account of the Salvadorans who rendezvous with the minister in the grocery store paints a powerful picture. Beck is an excellent wordsmith.  Because it escalated into a national issue, or demanded national attention, and because of the continuing nature of the story, with the demands this puts on a reporter, the nod must go to Beck for this series of stories set in Mississippi.  The editorial-news team of the Reporter surely would qualify for a group award. Judging the merits of stories in this division was extremely difficult, and all would rate very high on the scale of journalistic excellence.  From the appearances of the Mississippi controversy series, Beck did an exhaustive job of gathering facts, checking them out and playing them back to the reader in a meaningful way.  Beck's insightful reporting certainly stacks up with that of experienced professionals across the spectrum of general circulation newspapers.

UMAC Honors Beck

Roy Howard Beck, associate editor of The United Methodist Reporter, was named "Communicator of the Year: by the United Methodist Association of Communicators at the group's recent annual meeting held in Lincoln, Nebraska. In competition judged by University faculty, Beck's work in a fall 1981 series on a South Africa conference, a spring 1982 series on the church and Salvadoran refugees and a spring/summer series on events in Tchula, Mississippi, was described as "going beyond merely recording something that transpires in a given setting. The drive, initiative and persistence are characteristic of the best reporters in the commercial print media."  More than 60 persons attended the UMAS annual meeting, which was organized around the theme, "Empowering Communicators," and heard featured speaker the Reverend Tex Sample issue a special challenge for the church to reach the post-World War II generations. Dr. Sample, who is professor of church and society at St. Paul School of Theology, Kansas City, Mo., noted that while print media will maintain a role in reaching the so-called "baby good" generation, the primary responsibility will rest on television because theirs is the "TV-generation."

The following AWARDS are announced.

BECK, ROY H. 559th US Arty Gp (WAUSAA) 

Awarded: Army Commendation Medal

Dates of service: 13 July 1971 to 16 April 1972

Theater: Not applicable

Authority: By direction of the Secretary of the Army under the provisions of AR 672-5-1

Reason: For meritorious service

OFFICIAL:

J.R. Hinchey, CW2,USA, Asst AG

Dear Mr. Beck: 

Kappa Tau Alpha has selected you for membership. This national honorary fraternity recognizes journalism scholarship, initiating only the top 10% of the students. I am happy to inform you of this honor and to welcome you into the mother chapter of the organization, the Frank Luther Mott Chapter.

Kappa Tau Alpha was founded at the University of Missouri in 1910 by Dean Walter Williams and a group of his faculty members. Today it has some fifty chapters across the nation.

The initiation ceremony will be conducted Sunday evening, November 23, in the Memorial Student Union. The banquet will start at 6 p.m. in Room 215. The initiation fee of $10 is to be paid to the chapter's treasurer, Dr. Donald Brenner, 27 Walter Willams Hall, no later than November 17. Arrangements for tickets to the banquet should be made with Dr. William Taft, chapter adviser. These will cost $2.50 each. You may bring guests.

With your membership you will receive a year's subscription to Journalism Quarterly. In addition, you will receive an attractive membership certificate.

Again, congratulations on this honor. I look forward to seeing you at the initiation ceremony.

Sincerely,

Earl F. English,

Dean.

Mr. Roy Howard Beck - 123828

Congratulations! You are today awarded a journalism honor.  Details are below.

Most of the journalism awards are given by alumni and friends of the School of Journalism. Letters they receive from recipients go a long way toward keeping their good will and generosity. If there is a living donor of your scholarship or prize, the name and address are listed below. You are asked to write the donor and give a copy of the letter to the Dean's office, 100 Neff, for the scholarships files.

Sincerely yours,

Earl English,

Dean.

Award: Science Writing Prize

Amount: $25

Donor: Talk with Dr. Joyce Patterson

Mr. Roy Howard Beck - 123828

Congratulations! You are today awarded a journalism honor.  Details are below.

Most of the journalism awards are given by alumni and friends of the School of Journalism. Letters they receive from recipients go a long way toward keeping their good will and generosity. If there is a living donor of your scholarship or prize, the name and address are listed below. You are asked to write the donor and give a copy of the letter to the Dean's office, 100 Neff, for the scholarships files.

Sincerely yours,

Earl English,

Dean.

Award: (second) Prize (for outstanding reporting)

Amount: $200

Donor: Sam Bronstein, St. Louis