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Former publisher named to Hall of Fame
Gene O. Morris joined the ranks of two other past publishers of the McCook Daily Gazette when he was inducted into the Nebraska Journalism Hall of Fame at a ceremony in Lincoln Friday night. Gazette founder Harry D. Strunk was inducted in 1975, and his son, Allen Strunk was inducted in 2002.
Morris' newspaper career spanned five decades, starting in 1961 when he was hired as a city beat reporter for the McCook Daily Gazette. He advanced to managing editor of the Gazette before purchasing the weekly Benkelman Post & News-Chronicle with his wife, Barbara, in 1981. He returned to the Gazette as publisher in 1990. He retired from the publisher position in 2007, but remained with the paper on a part-time basis until 2008.
On accepting the award, Morris thanked his wife of 29 years, Barbara, and daughters, Maritta and Michelle. He also honored his mentors in the newspaper business, Allen Strunk and Jiggs Crapson.
Strunk gave Morris his first newspaper job and "taught me the importance of total devotion to the principles of journalism and community." Crapson sold the Benkelman Post to the Morris' in 1981 without a down payment and at a very favorable interest rate. "Without his generosity, Barbara and I would not be here tonight."
The Nebraska Press Association and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln College of Journalism and Mass Communications sponsor the Hall of Fame, and representatives from those organizations choose the inductees.
Also inducted Friday night was the late Norris Alfred who published the Polk Progress and was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize in 1979 for editorial writing; Shirley Brown Bogue, an award-winning columnist who edited and published the Oakland Independent and four weekly papers along with her husband, Bob; Will Norton, past dean of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's College of Journalism and Mass Communications; and the late Fred W. Rose who worked for the Holdrege Citizen and a military newspaper and began the Ainsworth Star-Journal.