Nebraska publisher garners national award
Reprinted with permission from the Keith County News, Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2002. Pollock is a1958 graduate of the UNL journalism program.
Beverly Buck Pollock, long-time and former co-publisher of the Keith County News, has been honored in recognition of outstanding leadership and service to her community and state and the profession of journalism.
On Friday evening, Pollock received the Emma C. McKinney award, the highest honor awarded a woman journalist by the National Newspaper Association, an organization of community daily andnon-daily newspapers.
One male and one female journalist are honored nationally each year by the NNA.
The only other Nebraskan to win the NNA McKinney award was Elna Johnson of Imperial, longtime and former co-publisher (with her husband, Loral) of the Imperial Republican; she won the award in 1990.
Pollock was a co-publisher of the News for 34 years and has been associated with the newspaper for the past 42 years.
An engraved polished pewter bowl was presented by NNA President Ken Rhoades of Blair at a black-tie dinner at the Portland Hilton during NNA's 116th annual convention.
In accepting the honor, Pollock said she was accepting the award "on behalf of all women journalists who try with love and truth to work for the good of their communities."
She said, "Throughout the 44 years of our marriage, my husband (Jack) and I have worked as a team - a team of community journalists - and I can't imagine a better or more rewarding career." (The award was presented on the couple's 44th anniversary.)
In his letter of endorsement, Nebraska Press Association Executive Director Allen Beermann wrote, "It is my considered judgment that when the Emma C. McKinney Award was created, the founders had Bev Pollock in mind. There is no doubt that her achievements, accomplishments and truly remarkable service to society place her in the winner's circle."
In nominating Pollock, Geneva Signal publisher and Nebraska Press Association Past President John Edgecombe Jr. noted that Pollock had won numerous national and state awards for her writing.
She continues to write her weekly "Beach Bum" column, which, several years ago in a survey by an independent research firm, won highest readership honors of all articles in the Keith County News.
A letter of support came from Ruth Hermance, who served more than 20 years as lifestyle editor with the Keith County News and who wrote, "As an employer, Beverly treated women and men alike, was always fair in her judgments, encouraged top performance, served as a mentor to new employees and acted as a co-worker, rather than a 'boss.'"
Hermance added, "Outside of the workplace, I have served with Beverly on the Ogallala Library Foundation Bard and have come to appreciate her organizational skills and tireless commitment to matters benefiting the community. Her courage in taking a stand for the public interest (sometimes not a popular consensus) is admirable."
In presenting the award, Rhoades also quoted from a letter of support from Todd S. Adams, president of the Adams Bank & Trust, who wrote, "We have always been very appreciative of the philosophy of Mrs. Pollock's paper, which has been to bring home a 'sense of community' to our area and to publicize, recognize and encourage those people who are striving to better themselves, set positive examples for others and serve their community ... I am thoroughly convinced that many people in our community have been inspired and encouraged by the simple recognition they received in the Keith County News ..."
Pollock is a member and secretary of the board of the Nebraska Community Foundation, serves on the board of the Nebraska Foundation for the Humanities, serves as a trustee of the University of Nebraska Foundation and was chosen for membership in the Cather Circle, an organization of 100 outstanding female NU alums.
Locally, she is secretary and a board member of the Keith County Community foundation, is president of the Ogallala Library Foundation, is secretary of the board of the Keith County Historical Society and produces as a volunteer the weekly bulletins and monthly newsletters for the First Congregational United Church of Christ of Ogallala and the Congregational United Church of Christ of Brule.
She was instrumental in organizing an Ogallala branch of the American Association of University Women and the Women's Division of the Ogallala Chamber of Commerce and served as president of both organizations.
She is past president of Chapter CL, PEO, was twice co-chairman for Chautauqua in Ogallala, served as secretary of the board of trustees of the Goodall Public Library, was a board member of the Women's Golf Association and the Ogallala Country Club, served six years as secretary of the board for rural School Dist. No. 18, and served 10 years as a Sunday school teacher, deaconess and moderator of her church.
Pollock served as a trustee of the Nebraska State Historical Society Foundation, served on the university of Nebraska President's Advisory Council, served on the Governor's Commission on Education, served as a member of the board of the Mari Sandoz Heritage Society and as a member of the District 11 Judicial Nominating Commission.
Pollock, a native of Lincoln, is a graduate of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where she was selected for Phi Beta Kappa and Mortar Board and served as editor-in-chief of the Nebraska Cornhusker yearbook.
