Will Rogers Humanitarian Award
Presented annually by the NATIONAL SOCIETY OF NEWSPAPER COLUMNISTS to a columnist whose sustained work in civic journalism produces tangible benefits for the community
Nominations are OPEN for
Will Rogers Humanitarian Award
2010 Nomination Form & Rules
Support for this program is provided by the Will Rogers Memorial Commission and the Ethics and Excellence in Journalism Foundation
Will Rogers, American cowboy philosopher-humorist, b. Nov. 4, 1879, Oologah, Indian Territory (now Oklahoma), d. Aug. 15, 1935, Point Barrow, Alaska, in plane crash with Wiley Post. Star of stage, screen and radio; goodwill ambassador; aviation enthusiast; book author; newspaper columnist; and humanitarian
Will Rogers had a remarkable career. He is best known for his timeless wit and wisdom. He said:
• Everybody is ignorant. Only on different subjects.
• The country has gotten where it is in spite of politics, not by the aid of it.
• The truth can hurt you worse in an election than about anything that could happen to you.
• We will never have true civilization until we have learned to recognize the rights of others.
• It’s great to be great, but it’s greater to be human.
• All I know is what I read in the papers.
Rogers wrote more than 4,000 columns, syndicated in 600 newspapers, in addition to six books.
He also was a great humanitarian, helping many worthwhile causes and giving much of his fortune to charities. He used his public forum to raise millions of dollars for victims of floods in the South, drought in the Southwest and earthquakes in Latin America. Leading a Red Cross national relief tour in the Depression winter of 1931, he stirred communities and citizens to action.
Will Rogers practiced civic journalism long before it became a familiar term – aptly described by the Pew Center as “both a philosophy and a set of values … at its heart is a belief that journalism has an obligation to public life – an obligation that goes beyond just telling the news or unloading lots of facts.”
That belief inspired the establishment of the Will Rogers Humanitarian Award in 1999 by the National Society of Newspaper Columnists. This annual award recognizes a columnist whose work has positively affected readers’ lives and produced tangible benefits for the community served by the columnist’s newspaper.
It is based on columns that show results.
The award is a handsome replica of the statue of Will Rogers in the U.S. Capitol.
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Jonathan Nicholas receives 2009 Will Rogers Humanitarian Award
 Jonathan Nicholas, an Oregon newspaper columnist who founded a program that bridged the divide between rural and urban areas of his state and produced benefits to thousands of citizens, is this year’s winner of the Will Rogers Humanitarian Award.
Nicholas received the prestigious award at the 33rd annual conference of the National Society of Newspaper Columnists in Ventura, Calif., on Friday, June 26. James Rogers, a great-grandson of the popular humorist-philosopher of the 1930’s, made the presentation.
John L. Blackwell, former chair of the Oregon Park Commission, nominated Nicholas for his achievement as the founder of "Cycle Oregon", an annual week-long event which attracts participants from all around the world. Proceeds from rider donations and other sources go into a fund to help economically challenged communities through charitable grants.
His efforts also have produced an important contribution to the environment by encouraging more people to use bicycles as a mode of transportation. In a column last year he wrote, "It’s increasingly clear that bicycles can have a huge impact on everything from urban congestion and energy conservation to air quality and public health …and bicycles are strikingly cost-efficient."
The event originated in 1988 when Nicholas, after seeing the social cost of changes in the state’s timber industry, decided to spend a week riding his bicycle through a series of towns where lumber mills had closed. He expected 40 or 50, and more than 1,000 signed up for the ride. Each September since the columnist has led 2,000 riders in what has been acclaimed as "the best bicycle tour in America."
Born and raised in the coal-mining valleys of Wales, Nicholas has an extraordinary record as a journalist, writing a daily column for the same newspaper, The Oregonian, for 25 years. He developed a loyal readership and distinguished himself for his accomplishments in journalism and in many community volunteer activities. His editor, Peter Bhatia, said Nicholas’ commitment to an idea "has had a remarkable impact on the state, all of it born from a time-honored journalistic tradition: to do something for those who could not help themselves."
Nicholas is the author of three books about Oregon. He served as president of the NSNC in 1996 and 1997. Late last year he took a buyout offer and closed his long journalism career. But he remains active with "Cycle Oregon" and continues to head the charitable foundation which has an endowment of more than $1 million that funds
community development projects across the state.
The Will Rogers award, named for the humorist and newspaper columnist who performed many humanitarian acts, is presented annually to a columnist whose work produces tangible benefits for the community served by his or her newspaper. The program, which began in 2000, is sponsored by the National Society of Newspaper Columnists with support from the Will Rogers Memorial in Oklahoma. The award, a miniature of Rogers’ statue in the U.S. Capitol, also carries a $500 stipend. Nominations may be made by editors or community leaders.
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For additional facts about Will Rogers, check www.willrogers.com or write Will Rogers Memorial, P.O. Box 157, Claremore, OK 74018-0157.
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6/27/08
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