By Emmy Thomas
J Alumni News staff
When Dana and Lynn Roper graduated from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s School of Journalism in 1970, both decided to pursue careers outside the field of journalism.
Dana became an attorney, while his wife, Lynn, went into financial consulting.
But 32 years later, they showed that their roots in journalism remain strong. They established the Dana and Lynn Roper Fund to benefit UNL’s College of Journalism and Mass Communications.
The fund is specifically geared toward encouraging and rewarding sports writing among journalism students. Money contributed by the Ropers will finance an annual sports writing contest and a yearly visit by a noted sportswriter to the college.
Lynn Roper said the lack of a program or class to develop sportswriters was one reason the couple chose to focus their efforts on that area of journalism.
“We wanted to offer an opportunity to focus on sports writing because it’s sometimes the most read part of the newspaper, but there isn’t a class in it,” she said.
The couple’s love of sports also influenced their decision, Lynn Roper said.
“We both are sports fans and read a lot of sports columns,” she said. “We think it can be some of the most expressive and stirring news writing.”
Will Norton, dean of the College of Journalism and Mass Communications, said the Ropers told him they wanted to make a donation in an area other people had not already contributed to.
“They said they felt a lot of people gave money to scholarships,” Norton said. “They wanted to give to something different, to having some of the best sportswriters in the country visit UNL and to rewarding the best sportswriters among our students.”
Charlyne Berens, chair of the News-Editorial Department, and Joe Starita, an associate news-editorial professor, organized the inaugural sports writing competition this semester. Published sports articles, news or feature, were submitted in April. Winners were announced in early May.
Berens and Starita are also working to coordinate the first visit to the journalism college by a nationally known sportswriter.
“We’re working to bring in someone of national caliber who would come here once a year and give a general lecture on the art of sports writing and then make him or herself available to the students to answer questions and offer suggestions,” Starita said.
Starita said he was specifically hoping to bring award-winning Sports Illustrated writer Gary Smith, whom he called “one of the brightest lights in the sports universe,” to Nebraska this fall.
“Gary has won two National Magazine of the Year awards, which are intensely competitive awards, so he has distinguished himself in the field,” Starita said. “We want to set our sights high.”
Lynn Roper said she hoped the visit and competition would “encourage students to consider sports writing as a career path as well as improve writing skills as a whole.”
Norton said he thought the Ropers’ gift would do just that.
“I think you’ll get some good writers to try sports writing who might not have otherwise,” Norton said. “I think it’s a brilliant idea.”