SPJ History and Timeline - Society of Professional Journalists

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History of the Society

SPJ Timeline | SPJ Presidents | Chester C. Wells

Historic Moments:
A timeline of SPJ’s development
Compiled by SPJ member Jennifer Peebles

Use the arrows to move forward and backward between events. Tap/click and drag the timeline below to move around it, and tap/click on events to see that event in detail.

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Chester C. Wells: His True Life Story

Chester C. Wells, Sigma Delta Chi’s second national president, is remembered today through the Wells Memorial Key, which is the highest honor SPJ can bestow on a member. But little else about his legacy has been documented. Journalist Gordon Govier set out to discover the story of Chester Wells, who was elected president at the second national convention of Sigma Delta Chi, held in Madison, Wisc., in May 1913. This is what he found.

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SPJ Presidents

1912-13 Laurence H. Sloan
1913 Chester Wells
1913-14 Sol Lewis
1914-16 Roger F. Steffan
1916-19 Robert C. Lowry
1919-20 Felix M. Church
1920-21 Lee A. White
1921-22 Kenneth C. Hogate
1922-23 Ward A. Neff
1923-24 T. Hawley Tapping
1924-25 George F. Pierrot
1925-26 Donald H. Clark
1926-27 Roy L. French
1927-28 James A. Stuart
1928-29 Robert B. Tarr
1929-30 Edwin V. O'Neel
1930-31 Franklin M. Reck
1931-33 Charles E. Snyder
1933-34 Walter Humphrey
1934-35 John E. Stempel
1935-36 Carl P. Miller
1936-37 Tully Nettleton
1937-38 Ralph L. Peters
1938-39 George A. Brandenburg
1939-40 Elmo Scott Watson
1940-41 Irving Dilliard
1941-43 Palmer Hoyt
1943-45 Willard R. Smith
1945-46 Barry Faris
1946-47 George W. Healy, Jr.
1947-49 Luther Huston
1948-49 Neal Van Sooy
1949-50 Carl R. Kesler
1950-51 John M. McClelland, Jr.
1951-52 Charles C. Clayton
1952-53 Lee Hills
1953-54 Robert U. Borwn
1954-55 Alden C. Waite
1955-56 Mason Rossiter Smith
1956-57 Sol Taishoff
1957-58 Robert J. Cavagnaro
1958-59 James A. Byron
1959-60 V.M. Newton, Jr.
1960-61 E.W. Scripps II
1961-62 Buren McCormack
1962-63 Walther Burroughs
1963-64 Theodore F. Koop
1964-65 Ralph Sewell
1965-66 Raymond L. Spangler
1966-67 Robert M. White II
1967-68 Staley McBrayer
1968-69 William B. Arthur
1969-70 Frank Angelo

1970-71 Robert W. Chandler
1971-72 Guy T. Ryan
1972-73 William C. Payette
1973-74 Ralph Otwell
1974-75 William Small
1975-76 Robert McCord
1976-77 Richard Leonard
1977-78 Alf Goodykoontz
1978-79 Phil Dessauer
1979-80 Jean Otto
1980-81 Howard Graves
1981-82 Charles R. Novitz
1982-83 Steven R. Dornfeld
1983-84 Phil Record
1984-85 Frank Sutherland
1985-86 Robert Lewis
1986-87 Robert H. Wills
1987-88 James F. Plante
1988-89 Paul M. Davis
1989-90 Carolyn S. Carlson
1990-91 Frank Gibson
1991-92 Ernie Ford; Georgiana Vines
1992-93 Georgiana Vines
1993-94 Paul McMasters
1994-95 Reginald Stuart
1995-96 G. Kelly Hawes
1996-97 Steve Geimann
1997-98 Fred Brown
1998-99 Wendy S. Myers
1999-00 Kyle Niederpruem
2000-01 Ray Marcano
2001-02 Al Cross
2002-03 Robert Leger
2003-04 Gordon “Mac” McKerral
2004-05 Irwin Gratz
2005-06 David E. Carlson
2006-07 Christine Tatum
2007-08 Clint Brewer
2008-09 Dave Aeikens
2009-10 Kevin Smith
2010-11 Hagit Limor
2011-12 John Ensslin
2012-13 Sonny Albarado
2013-14 David Cuillier
2014-15 Dana Neuts
2015-16 Paul Fletcher
2016-17 Lynn Walsh
2017-18 Rebecca Baker
2018-19 J. Alex Tarquinio
2019-20 Patricia Gallagher Newberry
2020-21 Matthew T. Hall
2021-22 Rebecca Aguilar
2022-23 Claire Regan

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