Rahn, Pete

Pete Rahn – 2013

Pete Rahn entered the field of print journalism at the age of 15 and stayed in the business at the Globe-Democrat for almost 49 years. His first job was junior financial copy editor for the Globe. In the late 1940s, editor Richard Amberg assigned him the job of creating and editing the paper’s television guide, making the Globe one of the first newspapers in the nation to publish one. Rahn expressed pride in being the first to include detailed descriptions of movies to be televised. He soon started writing columns about TV on his own and, over the course of several decades, wrote over 7,000 of them and interviewed scores of the medium’s personalities. He received the Board of Governors’ Emmy Award from the local chapter of NATAS.      

Hesse, Don

Don Hesse – 2013

If St. Louisans grew annoyed with the liberal editorial cartoons in the Post-Dispatch, they would be delighted by turning to the Globe-Democrat’s editorial page.  From 1951 to 1984 that cartoon spot was held by Don Hesse, one of the most gifted draftsmen and conservative editorial cartoonists in the country.  His simple, loose pencil technique was sublime and his political viewpoint was always direct and forceful. Having been honored by the Freedoms Foundation, the American Legion and the National Headliners Club, Hesse gained a national reputation and following. It could even be said that changed he changed Republican Party history.  For it was a 1965 party at Hesse’s Belleville home that he introduced his friend Richard Nixon to a young Globe editorial writer – Pat Buchanan. 

Hesse started his career at the Belleville News-Democrat and joined the Globe as a staff artist in 1946 before moving to the editorial page.  He returned the News-Democrat in 1984.  His work was nationally syndicated by the Los Angeles Times and the McNaught Syndicates.

Reedy, William Marion

William Marion Reedy – 2006

William Marion Reedy is remembered today for his magazines, but few realize he began his writing career at the Missouri Republican and later worked for the Globe-Democrat where he wrote a weekly column called “Sunday in Forest Park.” A flamboyant and controversial figure, Reedy was to become one of the most successful literary entrepreneurs of his day. As editor of the weekly Mirror from 1891 to 1920, Reedy became the catalyst in breaking down the nation’s genteel literary tradition, developing a native poetry, and helping to form some fifty significant poets. The magazine, based in St. Louis, gave wide exposure to writers like Emily Dickinson, Stephen Crane, Ezra Pound, Edwin Arlington Robinson, Amy Lowell, Sara Teasdale, Carl Sandburg, and Vachel Lindsay.

Schurz, Carl

Carl Schurz – 2011

Carl Schurz was a Civil War brigadier general who founded several papers, including the Westliche Post (Western Post), one of St. Louis’ German newspapers, where he hired Joseph Pulitzer as a cub reporter. Schurz was a leading member of the Republican Party and in 1860 campaigned for Abraham Lincoln in Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. After the election, Lincoln appointed Schurz as U.S. envoy to Spain. Schurz became the first German-born American elected to the U.S. Senate in 1869 and later served as Secretary of the Interior in President Rutherford Hayes’ administration. After leaving office in 1881, Schurz returned to journalism and became managing editor of the New York Evening Post. He also wrote for Harper’s Weekly, The Nation and had several books published including, “The Life of Henry Clay” (1887) and “Abraham Lincoln” (1891).  Schurz is famous for saying, “My country, right or wrong; if right, to be kept right; and if wrong, to be set right.”

Hartmann, Ray

Ray Hartmann – 2010

Although his first job out of college was working as a newspaper reporter in New York, Ray Hartmann hit his stride after returning to St. Louis. In March of 1977, at the age of 24, he founded Hartmann Publishing and its initial publication, Profile St. Louis. Within months, that paper was dropped and the Riverfront Times was born. Under his ownership, the RFT became one of the ten largest alternative newsweeklies in the nation, and it was twice named Missouri’s top news weekly. He sold the paper and bought St. Louis Magazine, where he served as CEO. Ray was showered with local and national honors, and he was also a popular member of the weekly panel on “Donnybrook” on KETC-TV.

Suggs, Dr. Donald

Dr. Donald Suggs – 2007

Dr. Donald M. Suggs presided over more than tenfold circulation growth circulation at the St. Louis American after taking the reins at the publication in 1984. At that time there were six employees at the paper. That number rose to 25 and annual revenues exceeded $3 million. The American was named the top Black Newspaper in the nation multiple times. It developed the annual Salute to Excellence program to focus on the need improve education, and the program received national plaudits for its accomplishments. Dr. Suggs continued his community involvement with the paper and received numerous state and national awards for accomplishments in the journalism community.