The HSPA board of directors presents its Distinguished Service Award to an individual who has contributed in one or more of the following ways:
• Made a significant impact on the newspaper industry in Indiana through service to HSPA in one or more of the following areas: committee work, board membership, lobbying efforts or legal action.
• Performed outstanding service to the newspaper industry in general.
• Demonstrated service in the local community that reflected positively on its newspaper.
Nominees must be:
• A present or former employee of an HSPA-member newspaper or affiliated with journalism through a university, college or newspaper association.
• An exemplary professional who brings credit to the newspaper industry. Length of service is a major qualifying criterion but not exclusively so.
Nomination guidelines:
• Nominations may come from HSPA-member newspaper publishers, editors or other employees.
• Nominators should send the nominee’s name and contact information along with a letter explaining why the nominee should receive a Distinguished Service Award, to Steve Key, HSPA executive director and general counsel, at skey@hspa.com. Include any supporting documentation or evidence supporting the nomination.
• Nominations are considered by the board of directors, and awards are presented during the HSPA Annual Conference.
Distinguished Service Award recipients
1996: Charles Biggs
1997: Ned Bradley and John Nixon
1998: Robert Hartmann and Scott Schurz
1999: John C. DePrez, Jr.
2000: Craig Klugman
2001: Larry Lough
2002: Todd Schurz
2003: Linda Chandler
2004: Jack Humphrey
2005: Max Heath
2006: James W. Brown
2007: Barbara King and Dennis L. Huber
2008: William Nangle and Bob Zaltsberg
2009: Julie Inskeep
2010: Russell Pulliam
2011: Max Jones
2012: Henry Bird
2013: Patrick Lanman
2014: No award (Conference postponed due to snow storm.)
2015: Michael Fender
2016: Jack Pate
2017: Scarlett Syse