Joe Stroud
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Joe Hinton Stroud (18 June 1936 – 9 May 2002) was editor and
senior vice president A vice president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vice president is on ...
of the ''
Detroit Free Press The ''Detroit Free Press'' is the largest daily newspaper in Detroit, Michigan, US. The Sunday edition is titled the ''Sunday Free Press''. It is sometimes referred to as the Freep (reflected in the paper's web address, www.freep.com). It primari ...
'' from 1973 to 1998. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in history and political science from
Hendrix College Hendrix College is a private liberal arts college in Conway, Arkansas. Approximately 1,000 students are enrolled, mostly undergraduates. While affiliated with the United Methodist Church, the college offers a secular curriculum and has a student ...
in Conway, Arkansas, and a master's degree in history from
Tulane University Tulane University, officially the Tulane University of Louisiana, is a private research university in New Orleans, Louisiana. Founded as the Medical College of Louisiana in 1834 by seven young medical doctors, it turned into a comprehensive pub ...
(1959) in
New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
. A native of McGehee,
Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the O ...
, his first job was as a reporter for the ''
Pine Bluff, Arkansas Pine Bluff is the eleventh-largest city in the state of Arkansas and the county seat of Jefferson County. It is the principal city of the Pine Bluff Metropolitan Statistical Area and part of the Little Rock-North Little Rock-Pine Bluff Combin ...
Commercial''. Then, from 1960 to 1964, Stroud worked at the ''
Arkansas Gazette The ''Arkansas Gazette'' was a newspaper in Little Rock, Arkansas, that was published from 1819 to 1991. It was known as the oldest newspaper west of the Mississippi River. It was located from 1908 until its closing at the now historic Gazette ...
'' in
Little Rock ( The "Little Rock") , government_type = Council-manager , leader_title = Mayor , leader_name = Frank Scott Jr. , leader_party = D , leader_title2 = Council , leader_name2 ...
, and from 1964 to 1968, he was editorial writer and editorial page editor at the ''
Winston-Salem Journal The ''Winston-Salem Journal'' is an American, English language daily newspaper primarily serving Winston-Salem and Forsyth County, North Carolina. It also covers Northwestern North Carolina. The paper is owned by Lee Enterprises. ''The Journa ...
''. He joined the Detroit Free Press in 1968 as an associate editor, and in 1973, he was appointed editor and senior vice president, a position he held until his
retirement Retirement is the withdrawal from one's position or occupation or from one's active working life. A person may also semi-retire by reducing work hours or workload. Many people choose to retire when they are elderly or incapable of doing their j ...
in 1998. As editor for 25 years of one of the largest and most respected daily newspapers in the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
, Stroud was recognized time and again for his insight and journalistic excellence. He received the
William Allen White Award The William Allen White Children's Book Award is a set of two annual awards for books selected by vote of Kansas schoolchildren from lists prepared by committee. As a single award it was established in 1952 by Ruth Garver Gagliardo, a children's ...
for editorial excellence five times (1973–1980), the
Overseas Press Club of America The Overseas Press Club of America (OPC) was founded in 1939 in New York City by a group of foreign correspondents. The wire service reporter Carol Weld was a founding member, as was the war correspondent Peggy Hull. The club seeks to maintain a ...
Citation (1974), the Paul Tobekin Award from
Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...
, a Distinguished Service Award from the
Michigan Women's Commission Michigan Department of Civil Rights is a department of the Michigan State Government created in 1965 to support the work of the Michigan Civil Rights Commission of Michigan's Constitution of 1963. The Commission directs the work of the departmen ...
(1984) and the Detroit Press Club Foundation Award for Editorial-Opinion/Print (1990). He was also a finalist in the 1982 Pulitzer Prize competition and was awarded the Laity Award by the Detroit Annual Conference of the
United Methodist Church The United Methodist Church (UMC) is a worldwide mainline Protestant denomination based in the United States, and a major part of Methodism. In the 19th century, its main predecessor, the Methodist Episcopal Church, was a leader in evangelic ...
in 1985. In addition, Stroud has received honorary degrees from
Eastern Michigan University Eastern Michigan University (EMU, Eastern Michigan or simply Eastern), is a public research university in Ypsilanti, Michigan. Founded in 1849 as Michigan State Normal School, the school was the fourth normal school established in the United Sta ...
(1977),
Adrian College Adrian College is a private liberal arts college in Adrian, Michigan. The college offers bachelor's degrees in 92 academic majors and programs. The 100 acre (0.40 km2) campus contains newly constructed facilities along with historic buil ...
(1984),
Kalamazoo College Kalamazoo College, also known as Kalamazoo, K College, KC or simply K, is a private liberal arts college in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Founded in 1833 by Baptist ministers as the Michigan and Huron Institute, Kalamazoo is the oldest private college in ...
(1984), Central Michigan University (1986), Michigan State University (1987) and
Olivet College Olivet College is a private Christian liberal arts college located in Olivet, Michigan. The college is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. It was founded in 1844 by missionaries from Oberlin College, and it followed Oberlin in becom ...
. In 1978, he was named a distinguished alumnus of Hendrix College, and he has been elected to the Michigan Journalist Hall of Fame (1998). As described in his bio for the Michigan Hall of Fame, his editorials have mirrored
Michigan Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...
. "There's an aphorism that suggests that nothing contributes more to peace of soul than having no opinion at all. If that, indeed, is the price for a peaceful soul, it has no currency on the editorial pages over which Joe Stroud presides," wrote Neal Shine, former publisher of the ''Detroit Free Press''. After announcing his retirement as editor, Stroud wrote, "I've been proud to be editor of the Free Press. I've had a lot of freedom, a lot of support and a wonderfully forgiving audience." In 1980, Stroud completed the
American Management Association The American Management Association (AMA) is an American non-profit educational membership organization for the promotion of management, based in New York City. Besides its headquarters there, it has local head offices throughout the world. It ...
's business management program, and, a year later, he participated in the executive program at the Amos Tuck School of Business at
Dartmouth College Dartmouth College (; ) is a private research university in Hanover, New Hampshire. Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, it is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the American Revolution. Although founded to educate Native ...
. Stroud is a former president of the National Conference of Editorial Writers Foundation and the National Conference of Editorial Writers, and organization that has designated him a life member. His other professional affiliations have included the
American Society of Newspaper Editors The American Society of News Editors (ASNE) was a membership organization for editors, producers or directors in charge of journalistic organizations or departments, deans or faculty at university journalism schools, and leaders and faculty of ...
and
Sigma Delta Chi The Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ), formerly known as Sigma Delta Chi, is the oldest organization representing journalists in the United States. It was established on April 17, 1909, at DePauw University,2009 SPJ Annual Report, letter ...
. Previously, Stroud served on the board of governors of the
Cranbrook Institute of Science The Cranbrook Educational Community is an education, research, and public museum complex in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. This National Historic Landmark was founded in the early 20th century by newspaper mogul George Gough Booth. It consists of Cr ...
, including a term as chair, and the board of associates of Adrian College. He was also a trustee of the
Cranbrook Educational Community The Cranbrook Educational Community is an education, research, and public museum complex in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. This National Historic Landmark was founded in the early 20th century by newspaper mogul George Gough Booth. It consists of Cra ...
and Starr Commonwealth Schools. Stroud was at the time of his death a professor at
Albion College Albion College is a private liberal arts college in Albion, Michigan. The college was founded in 1835 and its undergraduate population was approximately 1,500 students in 2014. They participate in NCAA Division III and the Michigan Interco ...
and director of the Ford Institute of Public Policy at
Albion College Albion College is a private liberal arts college in Albion, Michigan. The college was founded in 1835 and its undergraduate population was approximately 1,500 students in 2014. They participate in NCAA Division III and the Michigan Interco ...
. Stroud was married to Kathleen M. Fojtik (his second marriage) and has five children, one of whom is also a journalist. He has two brothers, who also held careers in
journalism Journalism is the production and distribution of reports on the interaction of events, facts, ideas, and people that are the " news of the day" and that informs society to at least some degree. The word, a noun, applies to the occupation (pro ...
, George H Stroud and William H Stroud.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stroud, Joe 1936 births 2002 deaths American newspaper editors American newspaper executives Writers from Detroit American male journalists Journalists from Michigan Albion College faculty Hendrix College alumni Detroit Free Press people Tuck School of Business alumni 20th-century American journalists