Ernie Deane-Brenda Blagg Award for column writing endowed

A new award, the Ernie Deane-Brenda Blagg Award, has been endowed to honor excellence in column writing.

The annual $1000 award memorializes the late columnists Ernie Deane, a journalist, educator and historian who for decades wrote “The Arkansas Traveler” and “Ozarks Country,” and Brenda Blagg, whose column, “Between the Lines,” ran from 1979 until 2022. It is funded through the Ernie Deane Award Endowment, which is intended to support the Arkansas Newspaper Foundation’s charitable and educational purposes.

“Naming this award honors the memory of two of

Arkansas’s all-time outstanding newspaper columnists: Ernie Deane and Brenda Blagg,” said Skip Rutherford, ANF board member and friend of the Deane and Blagg families. “Not only were they teacher (Ernie) and student (Brenda), they shared a deep love for Arkansas and were role models for many journalists and the journalism profession. We are grateful to Frances Deane Alexander, Ernie’s daughter and Brenda’s friend, for helping make this possible.”

“APA is grateful for this annual gift that not only recognizes the best work of Arkansas columnists but also honors the memory of two Arkansas journalism giants,” said APA Executive Director Ashley Kemp Wimberley. “This special award will no doubt be one of the most coveted in the industry for years to come."

The first Ernie Deane-Brenda Blagg Award for column writing will be presented at the 2023 APA Convention in July.