Blog
ASNE Foundation pays tribute to the late Cruise Palmer
- By: ASNE staff
- On: 04/19/2011 16:55:00
- In: Member news/Industry updates
Unbeknownst to many, the ASNE Foundation was founded in 1979 due to a generous donation made by the longtime ASNE member and executive editor of The Kansas City Star and the Kansas City Times who passed away last month at the age of 93. As a result of Palmer's prominent role in the Foundation's history, the organization's board of directors passed a resolution in his honor at their April 6 meeting in San Diego.
Not many ASNE members know this, but the ASNE Foundation was founded in 1979 as the result of a generous donation by Cruise Palmer, a longtime ASNE member and executive editor of The Kansas City (Mo.) Star and the Kansas City Times who passed away last month at the age of 93.
The Star was an employee-owned newspaper, and when it was sold in 1978 to Capital Cities Communications, Inc., employees made handsome profits on their stock. Palmer wanted to use some of those profits to help ASNE.
"Cruise had been an active member, focusing on journalism education, and wanted to make a charitable donation of some of his profit to ASNE," said The Manhattan (Kan.) Mercury editor-in-chief Edward Seaton, who stepped down earlier this month after 17 years as president of the ASNE Foundation. "ASNE was not a charity, so ASNE attorney Dick Schmidt suggested a foundation be set up to receive Palmer's money."
As a result of Palmer's prominent role in the Foundation's history, its board of directors passed the following resolution at its April 6 meeting in San Diego:
Whereas the late Cruise Palmer had an outstanding 46-year career with The Kansas City Star and the Kansas City Times.
Whereas he served as executive editor of these employee-owned newspapers for 11 years until his retirement in 1978.
Whereas for many years both before and after retirement he was an active member of the American Society of Newspaper Editors with a focus on journalism education.
Whereas after the sale by the employees of the newspapers in 1977, his desire to make a generous donation to ASNE resulted in the Society's founding of the American Society of Newspaper Editors Foundation.
THE ASNE FOUNDATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS RESOLVES:
To pay tribute to the long service of Cruise Palmer to American journalism and to recognize his role in the founding of the Foundation that in the past 32 years has made many valuable and ground-breaking contributions to the profession.