Hall
of Honor
Alabama Press Association
Photos and Web page by Ed
Williams
Professor
Department of Communication and Journalism
e-mail
willik5@auburn.edu
home page
www.auburn.edu/~willik5/
220 Tichenor Hall
Auburn University, Ala. 36849
334.844.4579
Oct. 2, 2010
Alabama Newspaper Hall of Honor
Alabama Press Association
Ralph Brown Draughon Library
Auburn University
Ben & Libba George
Owner and Editor
The Demopolis Times
Karl Elebash Jr.
Owner, Editor and Publisher
The Graphic (Tuscaloosa)
Welcoming
remarks
by Mike Clardy, Auburn University
Click here
Recognition
of the Hall of Honor recipients by Joe Thomas, APA president
Click here
AUBURN - Three journalists, all respected for their many years of service and dedication to communities as newspaper publishers, will be inducted into the Alabama Newspaper Hall of Honor on Oct. 2.
Karl Elebash Jr., who was the owner, editor and publisher of The Graphic in Tuscaloosa, and Ben and Libba George, owner and editor of the The Demopolis Times, will be the 107th, 108th and 109th journalists inducted posthumously by the Alabama Press Association since the Alabama Newspaper Hall of Honor was established in 1959.
The ceremony will be at 10 a.m. in the Alabama Newspaper Hall of Honor Room in the Ralph Brown Draughon Library at Auburn University.
As a native of Tuscaloosa and a graduate of Tuscaloosa High School, Elebash began his newspaper career at the age of 17, working in the mailroom at the Tuscaloosa News. He later attended the University of Alabama, where he earned a bachelor's degree in commerce in 1941.
Following graduation, he continued his work at the newspaper for about a year before joining the U.S. Air Force. During World War II, Elebash served as an intelligence officer for a fighter squadron and was stationed in England.
After his discharge from military service in 1945, he returned to Tuscaloosa and became an editorial writer for The Tuscaloosa News.
Elebash spent some time working for the Press Register, The Wall Street Journal and South Magazine before he and his wife, Camille, started the Graphic, a weekly newspaper, in Tuscaloosa in 1957. Elebash, who would later serve a term as president of the Alabama Press Association in 1971, carried out the duties as the Graphic's owner, editor and publisher for 22 years until the paper was acquired by The Tuscaloosa News.
Through the years, he was honored by the Alabama Press Association and others for his hard-hitting editorials, especially during the civil rights movements of the 1960s.
In addition to his newspaper career, he was an active member of the Republican Party and was elected as a delegate to the GOP national convention in 1984.
The first to be inducted into the Hall of Honor as a couple, Ben and Elizabeth "Libba" George were an integral part of Demopolis for 60 years. When the two agreed to return to Demopolis in 1930 to assist Libba's father, E.S. Cornish, with The Demopolis Times, they were, in effect, continuing a family tradition. Through their leadership, the weekly newspaper became the heartbeat of Demopolis, as they attempted to report everything good that happened in their community.
Libba wrote the social news and her weekly column, "The Rambling Reporter," while Ben covered other important news events, including police and fire reports. Together they attended every function that promoted Demopolis so they could keep the public informed. It was their belief that no function was too small to be of interest.
As Ben and Libba learned of plans and ideas, they became personally involved in civic activities that helped the city. Libba was a longtime member and past president of the P.T.A. and served as a volunteer tutor for a dyslexia program. Ben represented Demopolis through his longtime membership in the Alabama Press Association, which included a term as its president in 1956-57, as a member and president of the Demopolis Chamber of Commerce and as a member on the advisory committee for the Demopolis City Board of Education for seven years, which included time as its chairperson. The Georges attended the Methodist Church in Demopolis, where he sang in the choir and she taught a Sunday school class for more than 50 years.
Contact: Kevin Loden, (334) 844-9999 (lodenke@auburn.edu)
Mike Clardy, (334) 844-9999 (clardch@auburn.edu)
Hall of Honor Room, Ralph Brown Draughon Library
Breakfast
Welcome
Mike Clardy
Director of Communications
Office of Communications and Marketing
Auburn University
Invocation
Felicia Mason
Executive Director, Alabama Press Association
Remarks
Jennifer Wood Adams
Journalism Program Director, Associate Professor
AU Department of Communication and Journalism
Joe Thomas
President, Alabama Press Association
Publisher and Editor, Tri-City Ledger (Flomaton)
Response
Family Representatives
Kickoff at Jordan-Hare Stadium
--30--
Thanks for visiting my Alabama
Newspaper
Hall of Honor Web page!
Ed Williams, Department of Communication and Journalism
Auburn University
Alabama
Newspaper Hall of
Honor Inductees
1959-2010
1959
Frazier
T. Raiford
Hunter
H. Golson
William
W. Screws
James
B. Stanley
1960
Benjamin
M. Bloodworth
Isaac
Grant
Charles
H. Greer
1961
Harry
M. Doster
Johnson
J. Hooper
1962
William
L. Gammell
Franklin
P. Glass
Grover
C. Hall
1963
*
1964
Jesse
B. Adams
Olin
H. Stevenson
1965
Marcy
B. Darnall Sr.
Milton
C. Giles
1966
Oscar
M. Dugger Sr.
Julian
O. Hall
1967
Victor
H. Hanson
William
E. W. Yerby
1968
Edward
S. Cornish
Mary
H. Raiford
1969
Harry
M. Ayers
C.
Glenn Jones
1970
E.
Cody Hall Sr.
R.
H. “Harry” Walker Sr.
1971
Reese
T. Amis
William
R. Shelton
1972
George
R. Cather
Earl
L. Tucker
1973
Rufus
N. Rhodes
John
H. Singleton
1974
Thomas
Eastin
J.
Glenn Stanley
1975
John
C. Burruss
Robert
B. Vail
1976
Bonnie
D. Hand
Mark
L. Tucker
1977
Pearle
E. Gammell
James
W. Oakley Sr.
1978
Grover
C. Hall Jr.
Forney
G. Stephens
1979
George
A. Carleton
Ralph
B. Chandler
1980
Robert
G. Bozeman Sr.
McClellan
Van der Veer
1981
Louis
A. Eckl
Robert
M. Tucker Sr.
1982
G.
Whatley Carlisle Sr.
F.
Webb Stanley
1983
W.
Emmett Brooks
Frank
P. Thomas Jr.
1984
Duard
M. Le Grand Jr.
S.
Vincent Townsend
1985
John
S. Graham
Harold
S. May
1986
James
E. Chappell
W.
Bruce Shelton
1987
William
D. Jelks
Arthur
F. Slaton Jr.
1988
James
Buford Boone
John
W. Frierson
1989
Clarence
B. Hanson Jr.
Barrett
C. Shelton Sr.
1990
Wilbur
H. “Bill” Metz
Edgar
Hughleigh Pierce
1991
Karol
R. L. Fleming
Steele
McGrew
1992
John
W. Bloomer
Edward
A. Dannelly Jr.
1993
Graham
M. McTeer
Perkins
J. Prewitt
1994
George
A. Cornish
Charles
G. Dobbins
1995
William
T. Sheehan
Robert
E. Sutton Sr.
1996
Carroll
Kilpatrick
Jonathan
C. McLendon
1997
Henrietta
Worsley Davis
Leroy
Alanson Simms
1998
Elmer
Leonard Holland Jr.
Charles
Lester Proctor
1999
Robert
Gaston Bozeman Jr.
William
Cooper Green Jr.
Michael
Thomas Ryland
2000
Porter
Harvey
William
M. Stewart
2001
Herve
Charest Jr.
Luther
J. Fowler
2002
Ernest
M. Howell
Edward
R. Morrissette
2003
James
E. Mills
John
B. Stevenson
2004
John
Quincy Adams Jr.
Bertie
Gammell Parish
2005
Ralph
W. Callahan
Neil
O. Davis
2006
Robert
Bryan
Ronald
Casey
2007
Evelyn
Flournoy Doster
H.
Shelton Prince Jr.
2008
James
Claude “J.C.” Henderson
Benjamin
Carmage Walls
2009
Samuel
Herren Oliver
Ralph
Westgate Sears
2010
Ben
& Libba George
Karl Elebash Jr.
The Alabama Newspaper Hall of Honor
was established by the Alabama
Press Association by resolution on Jan. 24, 1959. The first members were
honored for 1959 at the 1960 APA
winter meeting. On Oct. 10, 1964, the
permanent home of the Hall of Honor was formally dedicated at Auburn
University. Members inducted since
that date are shown in the year of
their induction.