For Immediate Release

Contacts:
Lauren Rochester, SPJ Awards Coordinator, (317) 927-8000 ext. 210, lrochester@spj.org
Christine DiGangi, SPJ Communications Coordinator, (317) 927-8000 ext. 205, cdigangi@spj.org

INDIANAPOLIS — Bill Bleyer and David Sheets have received the Howard S. Dubin Outstanding Pro Member Award from the Society of Professional Journalists for their outstanding contributions to their SPJ chapters and regions.

The Howard Dubin Award is awarded to no more than two members — one from a chapter of 75 or more members and one from fewer than 75 members — each year in honor of longtime SPJ member Howard Dubin of the Chicago Headline Club. Dubin not only contributes much time and money to the Society, he remains dedicated to service at the chapter level.

Bleyer and Sheets will be recognized for this honor in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. Sept. 22 at Excellence in Journalism 2012, SPJ’s annual conference, co-hosted by the Radio Television Digital News Association.

Bill Bleyer
Bleyer, a staff writer at Newsday, is a member of the Press Club of Long Island, of which he serves as treasurer. During his time with SPJ, he has served on the national SPJ board of directors, on SPJ committees and as Region 1 director. Bleyer has worked at Newsday since 1981 and was a member of a Pulitzer Prize-winning team for its coverage of the 1996 crash of Trans World Airlines Flight 800.

Members had the opportunity to leave feedback for Dubin Award nominees, and Bleyer’s unconditional willingness to work for his chapter was a highlight of the comments.

“Bill Bleyer is a selfless volunteer who helped organize perhaps the best Region 1 Conference in recent memory,” wrote Carl Corry, a Newsday colleague and fellow Press Club of Long Island member.


David Sheets
Sheets is the immediate past-president of the St. Louis Pro chapter and works as a freelance writer in the area. In nominating Sheets, SPJ President John Ensslin highlighted Sheets’ regular contributions to the Networked and Independent Journalist blogs on the SPJ Blog Network. Sheets is editing a freelance guide comprising contributions from SPJ’s Freelance Committee members. Sheets has been assembling the guide for the last year and hopes to present it at EIJ12.

In the coming SPJ elections, Sheets is running for Region 7 director and is a member of the national Freelance Committee.

Founded in 1909 as Sigma Delta Chi, SPJ promotes the free flow of information vital to a well-informed citizenry; works to inspire and educate the next generation of journalists; and protects First Amendment guarantees of freedom of speech and press. For more information on SPJ, please visit www.spj.org.

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