Category: 1980s

Yvette Walker, assistant dean at the Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Oklahoma, will be inducted into the Oklahoma Journalism Hall of Fame. Walker is among 10 inductees to be honored. “The 50th anniversary gives us an opportunity to celebrate the many historic accomplishments of journalists who have made an impact in Oklahoma and nationwide,” said Joe Hight, director and Edith Kinney Gaylord Endowed Chair of Journalism Ethics at the University of Central Oklahoma. The gala will be at 6 p.m. Friday, April 24, at the Oklahoma History Center.

Amy Buckman, Dir. of School and Community Relations for Lower Merion School District, was recognized by the Phila. Public Relations Assoc. for her work following the deaths of LM alumnus Kobe Bryant, his daughter and seven others. Her statement on behalf of the District at 4:15 p.m. ET the day of the crash was carried live internationally. She coordinated media availabilities with student athletes and alumni, and with Mr. Bryant’s coaches, while balancing the safety and emotional needs of students and staff with the desire of members of the public who wanted to pay homage outside the high school gymnasium.

Sports journalist Christine Brennan was awarded the 2020 Associated Press Sports Editors’ Red Smith Award, presented annually to an individual who has made “major contributions to sports journalism,” on March 4.

“This is such an honor,” said Brennan, who joined USA TODAY in August 1997. “I’ve been so fortunate to know or work with quite a few of the Red Smith Award winners over the years. They have been my role models, my editors and my mentors, so to join them is very humbling.”

Brennan is a sports columnist for USA Today, a commentator on ABC News, CNN, PBS NewsHour, NPR and a best-selling author.

Bartlit Beck Founding Partner Mark Ferguson was inducted as a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers. The special induction ceremony took place before an audience of 561 during the 2020 Spring Meeting of the College in Tucson, Arizona.

Founded in 1950, the College is composed of the best of the trial bar from the United States and Canada. Fellowship in the College is extended by invitation only and only after careful investigation, to those experienced trial lawyers of diverse backgrounds, who have mastered the art of advocacy and whose professional careers have been marked by the highest standards of ethical conduct, professionalism, civility and collegiality. Lawyers must have a minimum of fifteen years trial experience before they can be considered for Fellowship.

Membership in the College cannot exceed one percent of the total lawyer population of any state or province. There are currently approximately 5,800 members in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico, including active Fellows, Emeritus Fellows, Judicial Fellows (those who ascended to the bench after their induction) and Honorary Fellows. The College maintains and seeks to improve the standards of trial practice, professionalism, ethics, and the administration of justice through education and public statements on independence of the judiciary, trial by jury, respect for the rule of law, access to justice, and fair and just representation of all parties to legal proceedings. The College is thus able to speak with a balanced voice on important issues affecting the legal profession and the administration of justice.

Ferguson is resident in Bartlit Beck’s Chicago office, and has been practicing law for 36 years. He received his B.S.J. from Medill and his J.D., magna cum laude, from the University of Michigan Law School, where he served as Executive Note Editor of the Michigan Law Review.

In June 2018 Christina finally took the plunge and launched a website: www.Wombat-womenincombat.com to shine the spotlight on women who hold traditionally male jobs in the armed forces and in defense industries. After working as a defense and military specialist for 20 years from her home base in Paris (France), irritated that it was always the same men who were called upon by media when comment or explanations were needed, she decided it was time these remarkable women from all over the world were publicized. Their stories are inspiring and their career paths fascinating. But as Wombat earns her no money, Christina also works freelance as the military tech writer for Popular Science and as the France correspondent for Defense News.