Lucy Dalglish, former chair of the Society of Professional Journalists' Freedom of Information Committee, was honored by the Society at its national convention with its Wells Memorial Key.

The award, given for outstanding service to the Society, represents the highest honor bestowed by the group. It recognizes meritorious service to SPJ and the journalism profession.

"Lucy Dalglish is an excellent example of the kind of individual who should be honored with the Wells Key," said Reginald Stuart, immediate past president of the Society. "She has been committed far beyond any expectations. Her work has benefited all of us. She's never stopped to ask, `Was it worth it?' She knew it was, and we knew it was. This is a very fitting honor for a well deserving person."

After completing preparations for a career in law, Dalglish recently left the journalism field and took a position in the Minneapolis, Minn., law firm of Dorsey & Whitney. Her main area of
interest is media law.

She is a 1980 graduate of the University of North Dakota, where she received a bachelor of arts degree in journalism. She was a journalism fellow at Yale Law School in 1987-88 and received a masters of studies in law degree. In May 1995, she graduated with a juris doctor degree from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee.

As a journalist, Dalglish was a reporter and editor at the St. Paul Pioneer Press from 1980-93. She served as chairwoman of the FOI committee from 1992 to 1995. That committee has numerous functions, including supervision of the Legal Defense Fund, coordination of the 50 state Project Sunshine network, and publication of the annual FOI edition of Quill magazine.

Dalglish also worked closely with the Society's legal team at the Washington, D.C., firm of Baker & Hostetler. She has testified on the Society's behalf before several Congressional committees and administrative task forces. She also has spoken nationwide to journalism and law groups regarding First Amendment issues.

"Lucy gave us an authority and authenticity with law makers and rule makers that simply couldn't be duplicated inside the Beltway," said SPJ general counsel Bruce Sanford.

Dalglish has been active in SPJ since serving as president of her student chapter in 1979. She served on the national board of directors from 1988 to 1991 representing Region 6, which includes Minnesota, North and South Dakota and Wisconsin. She also served as president of the Minnesota chapter in 1986-86 and 1992-93.

"I grew up with an old saying, `Service in your community is the rent you pay for the space you take up on earth,"' said Dalglish. "My vehicle for doing that is through this organization."

The Well Key is named for Chester A. Wells, an early member of Sigma Delta Chi. Wells died in 1913 at the age of 26 while serving as the fraternity's second national president. Sigma Delta Chi was the name of the Society when it was founded in 1909 at DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana.