Six journalists who have made notable contributions to Omaha-area journalism will be inducted into the Omaha Press Club Journalists of Excellence Hall of Fame on Saturday, June 4.
This year’s inductees include two University of Nebraska-Lincoln College of Journalism and Mass Communications alumni. Each has made contributions to the Omaha media industry to earn their spot in the Hall of Fame.
The 2016 CoJMC inductees are: Frank Partsch and Eileen Wirth.
Partsch is the retired editorial page editor of The Omaha World-Herald (1982-2003). He joined the newspaper in 1976 as chief of its state capital bureau in Lincoln.
He had spent the previous four years as editor of the Sidney (Neb.) Telegraph. Before that, he was in Chicago as a staff reporter in The Wall Street Journal‘s Midwest Bureau. He served on the board of directors and edited the quarterly journal for the National Conference of Editorial Writers (now the Association of Opinion Journalists).
In 2007, he was inducted into the Nebraska Journalism Hall of Fame and in 2008 received a dean’s award from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln College of Journalism & Mass Communications.
From 2005 until early 2008, he was part-time assistant to the World-Herald publisher, participating in the development of a professional enrichment program for undergraduates in partnership with the University of Nebraska–Lincoln College of Journalism and Mass Communications.
A respected mentor for the next generation of journalists, Eileen Wirth, Ph.D., will retire this spring as chair of Creighton University’s Department of Journalism, Media and Computing.
She joined Creighton in 1991 as a professor after an 11-year career as a reporter at The Omaha World-Herald, eight years as a public relations writer and event planner at Union Pacific Railroad and two years at the McCartney Group.
Wirth has served on the OPC Education Committee and the OPC board of directors. She has twice been president of the OPC Foundation board, including in 2016.
Her interest in education led her to become president of the Omaha Library board and the Library Foundation board.
The eight books she has written and published include “From Society Page to Front Page: Nebraska Women in Journalism.” She holds B.A., M.A. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and an M.A. from the University of Minnesota.
The Hall of Fame induction and awards presentations will be held at the Omaha Press Club on the 22nd floor of the First National Bank building, adjacent to the DoubleTree Hotel, starting with a no-host reception at 5:30 p.m. Dinner follows the presentations.
Members and nonmembers are invited to attend. Cost of the event, which includes hors d’oeuvres and dinner, is $45 per person ($55 for nonmembers). Tables of eight may be purchased.
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