Contact:
Heather Porter, Programs Coordinator, (317) 927-8000, ext. 204, hporter@spj.org
Beth King, Communications Manager, (317) 927-8000, ext. 211, bking@spj.org

INDIANAPOLIS – The Society of Professional Journalists is pleased to honor Emil Q. Dansker, Ph.D., with the Howard S. Dubin Outstanding Professional Member Award.

The award is given annually to individual members who have made significant contributions to their SPJ chapters and regions.

Dansker has been a continuous member of the Society for 56 years and is currently deputy regional director of Region 4. In that time, he advised the Bowling Green State University student chapter for 10 years, served on the board of the Cincinnati Pro chapter for 10 years, attended nearly all regional and national conventions during his membership and participated in the Cincinnati Hall of Fame selection committee for five years. Dansker was inducted into the Cincinnati SPJ Journalism Hall of Fame in 2003.

“Emil is a master supporting actor for SPJ and the profession, whose achievements may be seen in the words and actions of others,” wrote Richard Hendrickson, Ohio SPJ Sunshine co-chairman and assistant professor of communications at John Carroll University. “Armed with his wisdom and charged by his encouragement, I am one of many journalists across the country doing and teaching journalism with his voice in our heads.”

Dansker is the founder and director emeritus of the National Conventions Project, which gives student journalists the chance to cover political conventions and presidential inaugurations. He was a founding member of the Cincinnati SPJ chapter in 1967. He supervised a project in 1971 with students at Bowling Green State University to produce a documentary on the Kent State University shootings the previous year, under the name of the Society of Professional Journalists. The documentary has been seen around the world.

After years as a reporter for publications such as The Toledo Blade, The Dayton Daily News and The Cincinnati Enquirer, Dansker taught journalism at Bowling Green State University for 16 years and Central State University for 10 years. He retired in 1996.

“Through his commitment to diversity, high ethical standards and freedom of the press, he represents the very best of our profession,” wrote Gregory Korte, staff writer at The Cincinnati Enquirer and a former student of Dansker, in his nomination letter. “Dr. Dansker is remarkably generous with his time, mentoring everyone from high school students to mid-career professionals. If there’s a group of 9-year-olds in Wyoming, Ohio, who want to start a treehouse newspaper, I have no doubt that Dr. Dansker would be there with his pica pole and red pen, introducing his young ‘Mozarts’ to the branch manager at the nearest Kinko’s to help them get a discount.”

Dansker will be recognized Saturday, Aug. 26 during the President’s Installation Banquet at the 2006 SPJ Convention & National Journalism Conference in Chicago at the Hyatt Regency Chicago, 151 E. Wacker Dr.

The award is named for Howard S. Dubin, a longtime member of SPJ, who remains active with the organization, its local chapters and the Sigma Delta Chi Foundation. The Foundation supports the charitable and educational work of SPJ and other journalism organizations.

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.

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