Missouri Medals

At Columbia, Mo. last week the School of Journalism of the University of Missouri gave its annual medals for distinguished service in journalism. As in previous years, the selection of obviously dominant publications and individuals honored the School as much as the recipients. The awards:

Robert Paine Scripps, "for achieving and maintaining an intrepid, public spirited and carefully informed journalism; . . . for seeing and meeting the need today for an aggressive, constructive liberalism to combat in the interests of that great middle stratum of our American people the domestic and international corruption and injustice which challenge the efficacy of the world's great social structure."

The Baltimore Sun, for "patriotic service . . . cause of peace . . . complete and highly intelligent coverage of the news of the world."

The Manchester Guardian for "its unparalleled line of distinguished editors . . . reliability and authority . . . courageous fight for peace."

Publisher Houston Harte of the San Angelo (Tex.) Standard Times and an alumnus of the School for "spirit of pioneering."

Editor Henry F. Childers of the Troy (Mo.) Free Press for "continuous publication of one journal for more than 50 years."

If the style of Missouri's citations seemed verbose and trite, it was no true measure of the calibre of the School of Journalism, to which Missourians point with just pride. Nor did it reflect upon the ability of the School's founder and administrator, Dean Walter Williams, president of the University, although it did recall the fact that he was once a "boy orator."

Credit for the School's high standing belongs almost wholly to lean, white haired Dean Williams, who has relinquished none of his supervision over it since being elevated to the presidency this year. Oldest journalism school in the world (1908) it is rated by some as the best because: 1) it has the most graduates in the profession and 2) its curriculum is undoubtedly the most comprehensive--everything from advertising to photoengraving. The school's small town atmosphere prepares more small town editors than metropolitan, which is doubtless as it should be since most big city papers are training schools in themselves.

Dean Williams was 15 when he quit school to take a job as printer's devil on the Boonville (Mo.) Topic at 70 cents a week. In 1908 he persuaded the University to let him set up an experimental school. He has been its dean ever since, "the university president who never went to college."

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