Medals from Missouri

Last month the American Society of Newspaper Editors was told that the University of Missouri's school of journalism is best in the U. S. (TIME, April 28).

_ Gathering about itself the cloak of dignity thus bestowed, the school last week arose and, in turn, named the New York Times Best U. S. Newspaper; awarded it the school's first gold medal, "the highest recognition which we can give ... for distinguished service in our own profession." At Columbia, Mo., Arthur Hays Sulzberger, vice president of the Times, accepted the medal from Dr. M. Walter Williams, the school's dean who was lately elevated to be president of the university (TIME, April 14). Choosing to view the award as in part a personal bestowal upon his father-in-law, Publisher Adolph Simon Ochs, Mr. Sulzberger launched into a glowing recital of the Ochs ideals, prowess, personality. To Mr. Sulzberger his chief is "the perfect newspaperman." "He is simple and direct, and able to strip the most difficult problem of its complexities and put his finger on the underlying and motivating facts--the news angle becomes apparent his touch. ... His greatest delight is to find an insignificant paragraph which under his prodding develops into a first-page story the following day. ..."

Other medals were conferred by Missouri upon:

La Prensa of Buenos Aires, outstanding South American newspaper, of whose staff Senior Jose Santos Gollan, Jr., was exchange professor at the Missouri school. (La Prensa gave a large collection of Argentine books to the school's library.)

Alumnus Ward Andrew Neff, vice president of the Chicago Daily Drovers Journal, donor of Jay H. Neff Hall, the journalism school building, for "leadership in agricultural journalism . . . vision and service . . . encouragement of journalistic education. . . ."

Percy Sutherland Bullen, U. S. correspondent of the London Daily Telegraph, "for clearness . . . fairness . . . skill . . . sympathy."

Upon Edwin William Stephens, onetime publisher of the Columbia (Mo.) Herald, "friend, gentleman, prophet and promoter of righteousness."

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