N.C. Journalism, Advertising and Public Relations Halls of Fame inductions, April 10

Joseph Mitchell, Roy Park Jr., Gene Price, Chuck Stone, Ed Williams and Clarence Whitefield were inducted into the N.C. Halls of Fame in Journalism, Advertising and Public Relations during an April 10 ceremony in Chapel Hill. Bill Goodwyn and David Oakley received Next Generation Leadership Awards.

The N.C. Halls of Fame, based in the UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media, honor individuals who have made outstanding, career-long contributions to their fields. Honorees must be native North Carolinians, or must have made significant contributions to the state. The Next Generation Leadership Award is given by the N.C. Halls of Fame to recognize individuals who represent the next generation of leadership in their fields.

Mitchell, a reporter and writer who chronicled the lives of ordinary New Yorkers, was born to a Fairmont, N.C., farm family in 1908. Critic Stanley Edgar Hyman said he belonged to a literary – not merely journalistic – tradition that includes Faulkner, Bellow, Joyce and Defoe. Mitchell, who died in 1996, was inducted posthumously into the N.C. Journalism Hall of Fame.

Park, who will be inducted into the N.C. Advertising Hall of Fame, built a 40-year career in advertising that included agency work for J. Walter Thompson and Kincaid Advertising, and he has served as president and chairman of Park Outdoor Advertising since 1984. He is president and chairman of the Triad Foundation, which funds graduate-level fellowships at UNC’s journalism school. He received a Distinguished Alumnus Award from UNC in 2005.

Journalism Hall of Fame inductee Price served more than 50 years as managing editor, editor and editor emeritus of the Goldsboro News-Argus while the newspaper earned more than 40 state and national awards for editorials, investigative reporting, feature writing and public service.

Stone, a Journalism Hall of Fame inductee, is the Walter Spearman Professor emeritus at UNC’s journalism school. He came to Carolina after an extraordinary career as a journalist, editor and columnist at several newspapers including the Chicago Defender and the Philadelphia Daily News, where he was the first black columnist and first black editor.

Journalism Hall of Fame inductee Williams won numerous awards for writing and widespread recognition for innovation and leadership during his 35-year career at The Charlotte Observer. His columns and editorials were part of Observer projects that won the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service in 1981 and 1988.

Whitefield, who distinguished himself over a 50-year career in journalism and public relations, will be inducted to the N.C. Public Relations Hall of Fame. The 1948 Carolina graduate became public relations director for Duke University until returning to Carolina to lead the General Alumni Association. He earned the rare distinction of being known as “Mr. Duke” and “Mr. Carolina” at different times in his career.

Next Generation Leadership Award honoree Goodwyn is the president of global distribution and CEO of Discovery Education for Discovery Communications. The UNC journalism school alumnus oversees all content distribution sales and marketing activity on behalf of Discovery's more than 100 worldwide networks, including Discovery Channel, TLC, Animal Planet and Science Channel.

Oakley, also a Next Generation Leadership Award honoree, is president and founding partner of the BooneOakley agency in Charlotte, N.C., which was named Southeast Small Agency of the Year by Advertising Age in 2009. Its website (booneoakley.com) was honored in the 2010 Google Creative Canvas.