Five graduates of Marshall University’s W. Page Pitt School of Journalism and Mass Communications (SOJMC) are being inducted into the school’s Hall of Fame.
Chris Dickerson, Janet Dooley, Rick Haye, Keith Morehouse and Sandy Wells officially will be inducted during a ceremony this fall.
“This year’s distinguished class of Hall of Fame inductees have careers spanning the fields of journalism, advertising, education, broadcasting and photography,” said Kyle Dyer, vice president of the SOJMC Alumni Advisory Board, which handles the nomination process. “They’ve each distinctly told the story of Marshall University through their dedication and high standards, and we are proud to honor their achievements.”
The first class was enshrined in 1985, and the Hall of Fame currently has 63 people enshrined. The annual induction ceremony attracts more than 200 guests.
Dickerson, a 1992 SOJMC graduate, is editor of The West Virginia Record legal journal. He also has worked at The Herald-Dispatch and the Charleston Daily Mail, having covered high school sports, movie premieres and everything in between. He was named 2011 Journalist of the Year by the West Virginia Association for Justice. He also has done work in television and radio. He was an adjunct SOJMC professor and currently is president of the Alumni Advisory Board.
Dooley, a 1973 SOJMC graduate, is associate dean of Marshall’s College of Arts and Media and SOJMC director. She has taught in the school for nearly 40 years and was named a 2002 winner of the Marshall and Shirley Reynolds Award for superior teaching. She also has won an Advertising Silver Medal award and the University Distinguished Service Award. Her students have won four first-place awards in the American Advertising Federation National Student Advertising competition.
Haye, a 1977 SOJMC graduate, has taken more than 1 million photographs chronicling Marshall University over the last 40-plus years as a student and the official university photographer. His work has been featured in national and international press, advertising campaigns, recruitment drives and fund-raising efforts. He also was given the “Unsung Hero” award in 2015 by the Marshall University Alumni Foundation for his work.
Morehouse, a 1983 SOJMC graduate, is sports director of WSAZ-TV. For many years, he broadcast Thundering Herd football and basketball like his late father, Gene. In 2007, Keith Morehouse was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award from the West Virginia Associated Press Broadcasters Association. He is a two-time Emmy winner and a five-time West Virginia Sportscaster of the Year winner.
Wells, a 1963 SOJMC graduate, was a longtime feature writer for the Charleston Gazette. Best known for her weekly Innerviews features, Wells wrote for the state’s largest newspaper for more than 50 years. She retired in 2009, but continued writing her Innerviews features until shortly before her death in February.
Inductees need to have a connection to the SOJMC, such as being a graduate or a faculty member, and should meet at least one of two major criteria to be nominated:
- A graduate of Marshall’s JMC program who has contributed to Journalism and Mass Communications as a profession. The nominee has made a contribution to the profession of journalism or has made a positive impact upon the profession.
- Contribution(s) to Marshall University’s SOJMC. The nominee, either through talent, treasure or activity, has made an outstanding impact upon the school.
More details about this fall’s induction ceremony will be released at a later date.
For more information or questions about the SOJMC Hall of Fame, please contact the school at sojmc@marshall.edu.
