HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — Five graduates of the Marshall University W. Page Pitt School of Journalism and Mass Communications will be inducted into the school’s hall of fame at a ceremony Friday night in Huntington.
The induction is part of the alumni advisory board’s efforts to promote the school. The board was formed a little more than two years ago, board president Chris Dickerson said Friday on MetroNews “Talkline.”
“One of the things we thought we would do is restart this hall of fame. We had it going on since the 80’s,” Dickerson said. “We thought this would be a good way to get our name back out there and to recognize these five people and others in the future who have done great things for their industries.”
The inductees are:
– Dr. Charles Bailey (1975 & 1985) Faculty manager of WMUL, which has become one of the top college radio stations in the country under his leadership.
– Mike Cherry (1980) A gifted and witty sportswriter, Mike enjoyed at 25-year career at the Charleston Gazette, the Charleston Daily Mail and Florida Today.
– Jody Jividen (1981) A master storyteller, he combined his love of sports and writing into a 21-year career at the Charleston Daily Mail.
– Chad Pennington (1999) After his Marshall football and NFL career, he has done philanthropic work in addition to some time as an NFL color commentator for Fox.
– Peter Ruest (1997) He has worked at some of the largest advertising firms in the world on accounts such as Nike, NASCAR, Wrigley, Bayer and Anheuser-Busch.
Friday night’s induction ceremony will take place at the Marshall University Student Center.
Forty-eight others already have a spot in the SOJMC Hall of Fame including:
– L.T. Anderson, famed Charleston columnist
– Nelson Bond, famed science fiction author
– Jim Comstock, famed West Virginia Hillbilly humorist and historian
– Joe Johns, CNN correspondent
– Bos Johnson, WSAZ anchor and PR executive
– Burl Osborne, editor of Dallas Morning News
– Lou Sahadi, sports author
– Soupy Sales, TV legend
– Marvin Stone, editor of U.S. News & World Report