Amadee Wohlschlaeger – 2006
Amadee took over in 1932 as the cartoonist that continued the legacy of the daily Weatherbird which began in 1901. He would go on to do the ‘Bird for almost fifty years. It still appears daily on the front page of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, as it has for over a hundred years. It is said to be the longest continually running daily cartoon in American journalism.
Paul Anderson – 2010
Paul Y. Anderson began his work in St. Louis as a reporter for the Post-Dispatch in 1914, and won a Pulitzer in 1929 for his stories on the Teapot Dome scandal of the Harding administration. Early in his career, Anderson received a commendation from Congress for his stories on race riots in St. Louis. He went to work for the Star-Times in 1937, where he was assigned to the Washington bureau. Although haunted by his own inner demons, Anderson became known during his short career as one of the greatest crusading reporters of his generation.
Duncan Bauman – 2006
G. Duncan Bauman began his newspaper career at the Chicago Herald-Examiner, moving in 1941 to work at the St. Louis Globe-Democrat. By 1966, Bauman had risen to the rank of publisher and editor. His reputation had grown nationally as well, where he was highly respected for his accomplishments. His local influence grew, and politicians and community leaders sought his support. Within the business community, many sought his backing for civic issues. Bauman was a board member of the Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce, the Health and Welfare Council, the United Way, the Arts and Education Council, and many others.
Alice Belcher – 2011
Alice Belcher was a pioneer on many fronts. She was the first woman to enter the College of Arts & Sciences at Washington University in 1870. She was the first woman employed by the St. Louis Democrat. She wrote a weekly column to earn book money under the pen name “N.D.,” which stood for “nikeso dynamai,” which is Greek for “I will conquer; I am able.” She later moved to New York and wrote articles for the New York Evening Post and Popular Science Monthly, including stories such as “Is Education Opposed to Motherhood?” and “Woman and the Ballot.” “She expressed her strength of will by forthright presentation in St. Louis and clever guile in New York, which persuaded newspapers to accept her work — and pioneered the way in journalism for publication of the written word and commentary by other women,” her grandson, John Tweedy, told Washington University biographer Candace O’Connor. “This is her enduring legacy.”
O.K. Bovard – 2007
Oliver Kirby (O.K.) Bovard worked for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch 40 years beginning as a reporter in 1898. Thirty of those years he was the paper’s managing editor. Known for being calm but somewhat aloof in the newsroom, Bovard actively avoided involvement in outside activities in order to preserve his journalistic objectivity. His true love was the editorial page, which on Sunday was internally referred to as “the dignity page.” It was known for detailed stories, both national and international, on significant issues. During his tenure, the Post’s Washington Bureau was established and the paper received a Pulitzer Prize for reporting.
Gerald Boyd – 2009
Gerald Boyd’s first job was bagging groceries at Cooper’s Grocery in St. Louis, but he rose to the position of managing editor of the New York Times. Gerald began working at the Post-Dispatch in 1973 after graduating from the MU Journalism School and was a co-founder of the Greater St. Louis Association of Black Journalists. By 1978 Boyd was at the paper’s Washington bureau, and five years after that he joined the Times’ bureau in Washington. The National Association of Black Journalists named him “journalist of the year” in 2001, a year after he’d been promoted to managing editor at the Times. He was leader or co-leader of Times coverage that won nine Pulitzer Prizes. When Boyd left the Times, the paper’s executive editor wrote: “He left behind a great reservoir of respect and affection.”