Sagebrush alums to honor former publisher

From his storied newspaper career to his role as a teacher, mentor, colleague and friend, Warren Lerude sets a standard every Nevada Sagebrush staff member should strive to achieve.

The Nevada Sagebrush Alumni Chapter (NSAC) will honor Lerude with the 2015 Frank McCulloch Lifetime Achievement Award at its fourth annual alumni dinner on Sept. 30 at Pinocchio’s Bar and Grill in Reno.

Lerude served as editor-in-chief of The Nevada Sagebrush from 1959-60, before spending the majority of his newspaper career as editor and publisher of the Nevada State Journal and Reno Evening Gazette. In 1977, Lerude led a team of journalists to win the Pulitzer Prize for editorial writing. He has also written multiple best-selling books, including his most recent, Robert Laxalt: Story of a Storyteller, which was released in 2013. He is currently a professor emeritus in the Reynolds School at the University of Nevada, where he previously spent 32 years teaching media law and management, as well as coordinating the professional internships program.

“I couldn’t be more delighted than I am with the award of this honor to Warren Lerude,” said Frank McCulloch. “He is one of those rare people equally skilled and competent in both journalism and the teaching of journalism. I can’t think of a more deserving recipient.”

The Frank McCulloch Lifetime Achievement Award was created in 2013 to honor the many accomplishments of successful Sagebrush alumni. Past recipients include Guy Clifton, and award namesake McCulloch.

McCulloch served as editor-in-chief of The Nevada Sagebrush from 1940-41. He then went onto have a successful career including covering illegal mafia activity for the Reno Evening Gazette, cultivating Howard Hughes as a source and reporting from the front lines of the Vietnam War for Time magazine and serving as an influential manager of the Los Angeles Times, Sacramento Bee and San Francisco Examiner.

NSAC was founded in 2012 to provide an outlet to former staff members of The Nevada Sagebrush, the student-run newspaper at UNR. The organization stands to preserve the history and excellence of the Nevada Sagebrush. Moreover, the group exists to provide professional advice to current staff members of the Nevada Sagebrush while hosting fundraising opportunities to directly aid the betterment of the Nevada Sagebrush and the professional development of its staff. Membership is available for $25/year. The event information is at http://on.fb.me/1iJDLMK.