Alumni association

Alumni Association honors four

Three alumni and one other journalist were honored by the UNL Journalism Alumni Association during the J Days honors Convocation on April 2. Voce Chancellor Joan Leitzel and Kim Hachiya, president of the Journalism Alumni Association, presented Outstanding Service Alumni Awards to David Moore, Todd Smith and Deana Sands and an award for Outstanding Service by a Non-Alumnus to Steve Murphy.

David A. Moore graduated from the College of Journalism in 1981 as an advertising major. He is vice president/associate creative director of Bozell Worldwide, Omaha.

In addition to serving as associate creative director, Moore also serves as senior writer for some of the Bozell Omaha accounts. He has worked with almost every agency account since 1985, when he began in the agricultural division. Moore is active in the Omaha Federation of Advertising and regularly volunteers to assist in the “Meet the Pros” student program. He has served on the ADDY’s judging committee for four years.

Todd G. Smith graduated in 1972 as a broadcasting major. He is the national correspondent for Bonneville International Corporation in Washington, D.C., for KIRO Television News in Seattle, Wash. He has covered Congressional campaigns since 1986 as well as the 1988 and 1992 Republican and Democratic national conventions.

Before moving to Washington, Smith was a reporter and executive producer for Close-Up, an Emmy Award-winning late night news program on KIRO, Seattle. Among his awards, Smith lists two Emmys from the National Association of Television Arts and Sciences, an award from the National Academy of Religious Broadcasters and a U.S. Air Force Commendation.

Deanna Sands is managing editor of the Omaha World-Herald. A 1972 news/editorial graduate, Sands began her career as a reporter for the Nebraska City News-Press; she moved to the World-Herald in 1974. She has been copy editor, makeup editor and night managing editor and was named managing editor in 1991. She coordinated the resectioning of the newspaper in 1990.

Sands in current president of the Nebraska Associated Press Managing Editors and a former president of the Nebraska Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. She is vice chair of the Business News Committee of the Associated Press Managing Editors.

Steve Murphy, who retired in 1990 after 20 years with WOWT in Omaha, received an award for Outstanding service by a Non-Alumnus. Murphy is a 1949 graduate of Creighton University and worked part-time for WOW Radio in his student days. He went to work full-time for the station upon graduation. He was named news director for WOW-TV and WOW radio when those stations had a combined news department in 1970. He became news director for television in 1973 when the two stations came under separate management and held that position until retirement.

Murphy was named Journalist of the Year by the Nebraska Professional Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists in 1985. He was named to the Nebraska Broadcasters Hall of Fame in 1988. He received the Radio-Television News Directors Award for Exceptional Service in 1987 in recognition of his 12 years of service as education committee chair and as RTNDA’s representative on the Accrediting Council. He is currently a member of the Nebraska Broadcasters Association Board of Directors.