SPJ and UNM Journalism Dept. Salute War Correspondent Ernie Pyle

Beloved WWII battlefield reporter Ernie Pyle will be honored in a free public event Thursday, August 3^rd, at the New Mexico Veterans’ Memorial Park in Albuquerque.

The Society of Professional Journalists Rio Grande Chapter, in collaboration with the University of New Mexico Communication and Journalism Department, are issuing the following proclamation to recognize August 3^rd as National Ernie Pyle Day.

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WHEREAS, the Society of Professional Journalists plays an integral part in improving and protecting journalism in the United States; and

WHEREAS, the University of New Mexico Communication & Journalism Department is integral in educating future journalists; and

WHEREAS, celebrated World War II news correspondent Ernie Pyle lived among the troops fighting on the front lines overseas, serving as one of the best-known war correspondents of his time, sharing the troops’ stories with Americans back home; and

WHEREAS, Pyle’s “everyman” approach to covering the war made him a trusted journalist and earned him the Pulitzer Prize; and

WHEREAS, Pyle, who grew up in Indiana, worked in Washington, D.C. and around the world, and planned to retire to his home in Albuquerque; and

WHEREAS, Albuquerque now remembers Pyle’s legacy through the public library at 900 Girard SE, which was Pyle’s home, and the Ernie Pyle Middle School in the South Valley, and the Ernie Pyle Legacy Foundation, formed four years ago; and

WHEREAS, on August 3, 2017, our community comes together to celebrate the legacy and achievements of Ernie Pyle, 117 years after the day of his birth;

Now, therefore, we the Society of Professional Journalists Rio Grande Chapter in collaboration with the University of New Mexico Communication and Journalism Department, do hereby recognize Ernie Pyle for his contributions to the field of journalism, and we ask all citizens to join us in observing Ernie Pyle Day annually, on the 3^rd day of August, from this day on.

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The Ernie Pyle Day event begins at 9:30 a.m. and will include remarks from Pyle’s remaining family members, a keynote address by author Joseph Galloway, and a performance by Ernie Pyle impersonator Baldwin Burr. The ceremony is followed by a free lunch. The public is welcome to attend. The Veterans’ Memorial Park is located at 1100 Louisiana Blvd. SE in Albuquerque.