Decade: 1970-79
David Ramseur, MA ’77
After nearly 40 years working in Alaska journalism and politics, David Ramseur, MA ’77, is completing a book on contemporary Alaska-Russian relations for the University of Alaska Press. Due for publication in July 2017, it is titled “Melting the Ice Curtain.”
Christine Ledbetter, BJ ’77
Christine Ledbetter, BJ ’77, is the senior arts editor of the Washington Post.
Christine Ledbetter
What do you do? I am the senior arts editor at the Washington Post. How did you get your job? I came to the Washington Post after news and features stints in papers such as the Boca Raton News, Dayton Daily News, Detroit Free Press, Chicago Sun-Times and Minneapolis Star-Tribune. What is the best professional … Continued
Mark Johnson, BJ ’79
Mark Johnson, BJ ’79, recently published a memoir and writer’s mosaic titled “From Fertile Ground.” The book, available on Amazon, weaves together his grandfather’s diary entries from his North Carolina farm and his mother’s letters from her home in St. Louis with his own post-retirement narrative.
David Firestone, BJ ’77
David Firestone, BJ ’77, spent 21 years as a reporter and editor at The New York Times. Firestone is now managing editor of FiveThirtyEight.com, the data-journalism site of ESPN.
Ruth Ann Racely, BJ ’73
Ruth Ann Racely, BJ ’73, retired in 2006 from her position in broadcast and cable consulting, sales and technical support. She had worked with Data Communications Corp./Jefferson-Pilot Communications. Previously, Racely was a sportswriter with The Commercial Appeal in Memphis from 1973-76.
Steven Jay Thor, MA ’71
Steven Jay Thor, MA ’71, recently received two honors: Journalism Teacher of the Year from the Florida Scholastic Press Association and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Journalism Education Association at its 2015 convention in Orlando, Florida. Thor reports that he has crossed paths with his master’s thesis adviser, Ralph Lowenstein, PhD ’67, throughout his … Continued
Carol Gee
Carol Gee, BJ ’72, had two English teachers who helped her develop a love for writing. In eighth grade Miss Bell taught her structure and sentence diagramming to truly understand the elements of writing. Mr. Flowers taught her fiction and narrative writing at the high school level, which inspired Gee’s imagination and improved her writing … Continued
Mary Huss
Major newspapers headlined the Watergate scandal in northwards of 72-point type when Washington Post enterprise reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein uncovered a major political scandal. The two made public a June 17, 1972, break-in at the Democratic National Headquarters at the Watergate office complex in Washington, D.C., and President Richard Nixon’s attempted cover-up of … Continued
Bradley A. Martin, BJ ’78
Bradley A. Martin, BJ ’78, has served as the editor of the weekly Hickman County Times in Centerville, Tennessee, since 1985. Previously, he was a reporter and an editor at The Commercial Appeal in Memphis. Martin is a member of the International Society of Weekly Newspaper Editors.