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Advisory

Newspaper Publisher to Speak at UA's Winter Commencement
Graduation Stories Needed

Newspaper Publisher to Speak at UA's Winter Commencement

Brandt Ayers, editor and publisher of The Anniston Star, will be the featured speaker for The University of Alabama's winter commencement ceremony Monday, Dec. 16, at Coleman Coliseum.

During the 9 a.m. ceremony, Ayers will receive the Henry and Julia Tutwiler Distinguished Service Award in recognition of his exceptional service to the people of Alabama as well as to the University. Approximately 1,000 degrees will be conferred.

For the past three generations, the Ayers family has run The Anniston Star, which the Columbia Journalism Review recently ranked among the 35 best newspapers in the nation. Time Magazine has twice named it "one of the best small newspapers in the United States."

Ayers is also a gifted writer and reporter with his articles, essays and reviews appearing in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times and many other papers and magazines. Over 30 newspapers carry his syndicated column, "Out Here." He has co-authored or contributed chapters to five books, including "Dixie Dateline: A Journalistic Portrait of the Contemporary South" and the highly acclaimed "You Can't Eat Magnolias." He is also a frequent commentator for National Public Radio's Morning Edition.

A 1959 graduate of UA, Ayers was inducted in UA's Communication Hall of Fame in October 2000. His other honors include a Nieman Fellowship to Harvard University, serving as a Pulitzer Prize juror, and receiving an honorary doctorate from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Graduation Stories Needed

The Office of Media Relations seeks interesting and unusual stories of graduates who will receive degrees at Commencement on Dec. 16. Story angles might include graduates overcoming adversity to get an education, non-traditional graduates, or graduates with interesting job offers. If you know such a graduating student, please contact Suzanne Dowling at 348-8324 as soon as possible.