IJHF welcomes newest members
From left, Sandra Chapman, Eric Deggans, Kathy Tretter, Max Jones, Bill Benner and Irene Figueroa Osorio celebrated during the IJHF induction April 27. (Photo by Gena Asher)
As young teens watching local TV news, some dreamed of being that reporter with all the details.
A couple wanted to ensure that their communities were armed with information to improve their lives and right wrongs.
A few had big plans – until a need to investigate tough issues and tell stories that need telling diverted their attention to journalism careers.
Whatever their motivations, the newest members of the Indiana Journalism Hall of Fame share a common thread: They are passionate about the need for news and the power it can convey to citizens and audiences.
Seven journalists with Hoosier roots were inducted into the hall April 27 at the Woodland Country Club in Carmel, Indiana. Executive Director Larry Taylor and Board President Stephanie Salter welcomed the record crowd and introduced the newest members.
“This is a time to honor and celebrate, and we are so grateful to have our seven inductees joined by their families, coworkers past and present, mentors and IJHF members to share this moment,” Salter said.
Here are the newest members:
Bill Benner
Thirty-plus years covering sports made Bill Benner a household name, first to Indianapolis Star readers, then later to readers and viewers of the Indianapolis Business Journal and local broadcast shows.
Though he thought about becoming a teacher, Benner quickly was bitten by the newspaper bug. His father was a pressman at the Star, so teenaged Benner had the chance to take a job answering phones at the sports desk.
He later covered sports events global and local, interviewing nearly every major sports figure to visit or play in Indiana, and covering events large and small.
“This is the honor of a professional lifetime,” he told the audience. “And it has been an incredible joyride.”
Sandra Chapman
Inductee Sandra Chapman spent time with her first mentor, former WISH-TV’s Lee Giles, left. (Photo by Ross Hollebon)
As a teen, Sandra Chapman watched the newscasters in her hometown of Fort Wayne and wanted to be one of them. Years of work and tenacity followed as she crafted an award-winning career that saw two laws enacted as a result of her investigations.
Chapman worked at WISH and, later, WTHR, both in Indianapolis, producing work that won numerous awards and accolades.
In her address, she thanked IJHF member Lee Giles, who also was mentor to young Chapman as she interned at WISH, landed her first job in Illinois, and later returned to WISH as a full-time reporter and anchor.
“Journalism has been my life’s work,” she said. “You are close up to life’s triumphs and tragedies. It challenges me, but is also is a calling I have to answer.”
Eric Deggans
NPR’s Eric Deggans networked with a few attendees from his alma mater, Indiana University. (Photo by Ross Hollebon)
Eric Deggans thought he would pursue a career in music, but instead fashioned a successful career writing about music and musicians.
For nearly 20 years at the Tampa Bay Times, he also wrote about issues related to entertainment, sometimes about injustice and unfairness, and often about cultural issues affecting citizens beyond the entertainment world.
His work attracted the attention of NPR, and, in 2013, the public radio network hired him as its first-ever television and media critic.
The Gary native told his audience about the opportunities his career has presented, interviewing the famous and infamous, but also about what he’s learned.
“Journalism is about telling stories but it also reveals something about us,” he said, “about the way we are shaped by and the way we shape culture. I am so honored to be part of it.”
Francisco Figueroa
The late Francisco Figueroa opened a print shop as soon as he immigrated from Mexico in the 1920s to work in steel mills. Keeping his day job, he and his brother began the printing operation that eventually published the state’s first Spanish language newspaper, El Amigo Del Hogar.
Figueroa’s family members and supporters who attended were proud of their ancestor and the family heritage. Many came from northern Indiana, where brothers Francisco and Benjamin first set up shop. One brought the original wooden sign from the print shop to display in the banquet room.
When El Amigo Del Hogar ended publication in the 1950s, Figueroa’s sons started the Latin Times, which lasted until the 1990s. Both newspapers served the Mexican diaspora of northwest Indiana.
Francisco’s last surviving child, daughter Irene Figueroa Osorio, accepted the award.
“I say to my parents and siblings who are gone, you have left a wonderful legacy,” she said. “Your hard work is now part of Indiana history, part of this respected institution forever.”
Max Jones
Board president Stephanie Salter congratulated her former editor and inductee Max Jones. (Photo by Ross Hollebon)
Terre Haute Tribune-Star editor Max Jones has spent more than 40 years in journalism, starting out at the Sullivan Times’ three-person newsroom. After 10 years, he moved on to Terre Haute, where, under his leadership, the newspaper undertook tough stories, such as the city’s budget deficit.
The hard work gained respect and accolades for the newspaper and its editor. Jones credited his hard-working staff and co-workers with that success, and thanked his mentors and colleagues at newspapers around the state for their support.
“I learned from my first editor about journalism, but also I witnessed his sense of community and his newspaper’s place in it. That has been my guiding light,” he said.
Wallace Terry
Board member Ray Boomhower, who also edits Traces, the Indiana Historical Society’s magazine, accepted the award on behalf of the family of the late Wallace Terry.
“His son and his widow are in Berlin and were unable to travel,” Boomhower said. But he continued to offer a brief synopsis of Terry’s work as an author, documentarian and journalist.
“Thanks to a football injury, Terry found himself with time on his hands as a student at Shortridge High School,” Boomhower recounted. “That led him to the school’s newspaper, The Daily Echo, where he joined the staff.”
Terry’s career sailed from the Echo to the Washington Post and Time magazine, where he covered the civil rights movement and the experiences of Black soldiers in Vietnam. His work with the latter led to his book, “Bloods,” which served as the basis for news programs and documentaries.
Kathy Tretter
Publisher Kathy Tretter told the audience she was not worthy of being in the company of her fellow inductees, but her bio tells a different tale.
In 1997, Tretter and family members bought two small-town newspapers, the Ferdinand News and Spencer County Leader, to ensure the south-central Indiana community would continue to have a news source.
Eventually, Tretter became sole publisher, and along the way, turned the newspapers into award-winning publications.
“I love what I do,” said Tretter, who covers meetings, writes editorials and handles business matters as daily tasks. “I am passionate about community journalism and its importance in the world.”
Nominations due Oct. 31
With the 57th induction in the history books, the board will turn its attention to the next class of inductees. It will accept nominations through Oct. 31, 2024. Anyone may nominate a journalist with Indiana ties by completing this form and uploading letters of nomination.
Questions? Contact Larry Taylor, IJHF executive director, via email.