Freeman presented NPPA citation
(June 25, 2005) Photojournalism Professor John
Freeman was presented with the John Durniak Mentor
Citation by the National
Press Photographers Association (NPPA) during
its National Best of Photojournalism Day in San Antonio today. This
honor is given to an individual who has served as an outstanding
mentor, either to a specific individual or to photojournalism in
general, and nominations for this award come from working photojournalists.
Freeman was given the Durniak Citation this year for "his continued support of photojournalism students, both during their time at school and after graduation." The professor has headed UF's photojournalism sequence since 1991, and he was named NPPA Educator of the Year in 2001. Formerly he was a staff photographer at The Wichita Eagle and earlier had internships at The Palm Beach Post and The Arizona Republic.
Durniak, the award's namesake, was executive editor of Popular Photography magazine, a picture editor at Time magazine and The New York Times, and the managing editor of Look magazine. He was an enthusiastic mentor who nurtured some of the most prominent photojournalists of the 20th century. Durniak died in November 1997.
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