Merrill College Announces Inaugural Hall of Fame Class

The Philip Merrill College of Journalism will kick off its 50th anniversary celebration with the unveiling of the Merrill College Hall of Fame. The inaugural class will include five distinguished alums and one celebrated faculty member, Dean Lucy Dalglish announced Tuesday.

The college will induct Emilio Garcia-Ruiz ’84, editor in chief of The San Francisco Chronicle; former National Journal editor Charles Green ’74; Maria Douglas Reeve M.Jour. ’92, executive editor at The Houston Chronicle; Bey-Ling Sha M.Jour. ’95, Ph.D. '99, dean of the California State University, Fullerton College of Communications; and Sandra Dawson Long Weaver ’74, co-founder of the National Association of Black Journalists and former managing editor of The Philadelphia Inquirer. The first faculty honoree will be late Dean Emeritus Reese Cleghorn, who led Merrill College from 1981-2000.

The class, selected by the college's new Hall of Fame committee, will join 12 Merrill graduates who were previously honored as distinguished alums by the UMD Alumni Association. The inductees will be immortalized with plaques in the atrium at Knight Hall. The project was made possible with the support of Ralph Crosby ’56.

“Merrill College’s graduates have distinguished themselves in news reporting, foreign correspondence, broadcasting, newsroom leadership, marketing, communications, advertising and a host of entrepreneurial endeavors,” Dalglish said. “We are grateful to Ralph Crosby for a gift that will allow us to honor outstanding alums for decades to come.”

The inaugural class will be officially inducted into the Hall of Fame during an event at John S. and James L. Knight Hall at 6 p.m. April 7. Hors d'oeuvres will be served, and registration is required.