Vicksburg publisher to be honored

A fourth generation publisher will become the first third generation inductee into the MPA Hall of Fame next month in Biloxi at the 145th Annual Convention.

Vicksburg Post publisher Pat Cashman, a past MPA President, will be inducted June 24 during the annual President's Banquet the same evening the newspaper's general manager, Jimmy Clark, is formally installed as president of the Association.

Cashman is the third member of his family to be honored; his grandfather and father were inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1989 and 2002, respectively. He was nominated for the honor by Charlie Mitchell, associate dean of the Meek School of Journalism and New Media at Ole Miss and former executive editor of The Post.

The MPA Convention will be held June 23-25 on Mississippi's Gulf Coast. Over 100 newspaper and media professionals will attend the event, which will include Gubernatorial and Lt. Governor Candidate forums for 2012 contenders.

The convention gets underway at Biloxi's Beau Rivage Resort and Casino with an opening reception Thursday evening, June 23. Programs Friday morning include a keynote presentation on "Telling Our Story," improving the image of newspapers, and the Gubernatorial Candidate Forum. Saturday sessions include programs on a variety of newspaper and editorial topics, as well as the Lt. Governor Candidate Forum and the annual Better Newspaper Contest awards luncheon.

Ticket information for the Hall of Fame is available by calling 601-981-3060 or emailing event manager Kimberly Haydu. Complete details on the convention are available on the MPA website.

Starkville publisher nominated to MPA Board

Don Norman, publisher of the Starkville Daily News and West Point Daily Times Leader, has been nominated for a three-year term on the MPA-MPS Board of Directors. Norman, currently a member of the MPA Education Foundation Board of Directors, has been publisher of the Golden Triangle dailies since 2000. He joined the MPAEF board in 2009.

Mark Williams, publisher of The Bolivar Commercial and an MPA board member since 2008, has been re-nominated to another three-year term. Both men will serve until 2014.

Board members serve three-year terms and may serve two consecutive terms before retiring. Nominations are made each spring by a committee chaired by an MPA past president and comprised of four other individuals, two of which come from daily newspapers and two from non-dailies.

Relief fund established for Joplin victims

In an effort to assist Missouri newspaper employees impacted by the May 22 Joplin tornado, the Missouri Press Association has established a disaster fund within the Missouri Press Foundation. The homes of at least 26 Joplin Globe employees were destroyed or heavily damaged in the deadly twister.

Tax-deductible donations may be sent to the Missouri Press Foundation, 802 Locust Street, Columbia, MO 65201. Or click here to make a donation online.

As of May 27, as much as $9,000 has been raised for relief efforts.

The Missouri Press Foundation Board of Directors will oversee 100 percent distribution of the funds. The Foundation, chartered in 1984, is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization.

Items sought for auction benefit

Members are encouraged to donate items to the annual Silent Auction benefit for the MPA Education Foundation. Over $7,000 was raised in the 2010 auction for use in the scholarship, internship and grants programs administered by MPAEF.

Newspapers and associate members, even those not attending the convention, may contribute items by downloading the donation form and sending the item direct to MPA. Or you may bring the item with you to the registration desk at the MPA convention. To download the auction donation form or see a list of merchandise that will be up for bids, visit the convention webpage.

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