I totally agree with you: Lee was a giant in both the academic and professional sides our field.
Thus, if we can send a flower arrangement on our collective behalf, I am sure it will be welcome by the Barrow family.
I was also in the conversation during which Lee shared the story about the meager contribution offered by Walter Cronkite.
That is yet another reason I believe that it would be much more touching and meaningful, that we proceed with the two things I mentioned in my first contribution to this discussion:
1. That those who wish to do so, send a personal note to his family indicating the value of Lee's guidance and support for our academic success.
2. That we collectively and individually contribute to the scholarship fund in his name. In fact, we should aim to get that fund to the level it should be if it were adjusted for inflation, in other words, AT LEAST $3,000. Moreover, that amount should not be just for the next recipient or recipients of the scholarship in his name. It should be kept and increased in the future as our funds allow.
Cordially,
Federico
On Jan 26, 2009, at 4:11 PM, Anita Fleming-Rife wrote:
That was why I asked if we could do both--I was most bothered by the $100.00 amount. Lee Barrow was not just an individual mentor--he was a giant--our giant--in the field of Mass Communication. He was uncompromising and unselfish in his quest for an inclusive field--not just the academic side but the industry side as well. Last year, we recognized him in a session entitled: 40 Years After the Kerner Commission Report and Lee Barrow's Vision for a More Inclusive AEJ. Had it not been for Lee Barrow's p
rescience--there's a good chance that an inclusive AEJ would not have come to pass because it took not only vision on Barrow's part but courage.
Last year, he shared with me a story about another giant in the field--but on the industry side, Walter Cronkite. After Barrow approached him on behalf of young people who needed funding for internships, Cronkite responded several weeks later with a check for $50. Barrow said he was shocked that someone of Cronkite's stature and who called himself concerned about breaking barriers for black youth would donate such a small amount--that was in the 1970s. Federico--maybe you can calculate that adjusting for inflation--but off the top of my head that is what $100 represents in 2009--to a man whose life's work has touched us all.
Bradley made a suggestion, which I support. I also think that we should discuss at the Boston meeting to give a set amount annually to the scholarship fund even if it means raising the fees by some amount. He was a great man and should be recognized as such.
I lift up mine eyes unto the hills from whence cometh my help. . . .