Bill Minor

A Hammond, Louisiana native, Bill Minor earned his journalism degree from Tulane University in 1943.  After distinguished combat service in the Pacific Theater during WWII, Mr. Minor joined the staff of The Times Picayune in New Orleans in 1947 and was assigned as that newspaper’s Mississippi correspondent, based in Jackson.  He held that post for 30 years, covering a wide spectrum of stories that ranged from the violent civil rights era to every other important political development in the state.  In 1976, he began another notable career as a political columnist and commentator.  Over his half century as a Mississippi journalist, Mr. Minor received many awards, including the Louis Lyons Award “for conscience and integrity,” presented by the Neiman Fellows at Harvard University.  He was also the first recipient of the John Chancellor Award for excellence in journalism, presented by the Annenberg School of Communications at the University of Pennsylvania.  He was inducted into the Mississippi Press Association Hall of Fame in 1991 and the MCJ Hall of Fame in 2007.