Journalism Hall of Fame announces four inductees for 2012 class
The Central Michigan University Journalism Hall of Fame has announced its newest inductees: Brad Flory, Kimberly Clarke, Roger Hart and James Vruggink.
All four are former CM Life staff members. Their induction ceremony will be held on Nov. 10 at the Comfort Inn & Suites Hotel and Conference Center, 2424 S. Mission St.
Flory, a 1980 graduate, said he was shocked by the announcement.
“I’ve never won anything or broken any boundaries, but I’m honored anyway,” he said.
Flory wrote for the Gaylord Herald Times, the Cadillac Evening News and spent 27 years at the Jackson Citizen Patriot.
In 2008, he started Brad’s Lunch Bunch, a charity supporting food pantries in Jackson County. Flory said his charity has raised $333,000 since then.
Flory said he is proud of his role in the Jackson community, crediting his time at CM Life for preparing him for the work.
“I learned the importance of making a deadline and staying on top of a beat,” Flory said.
Hart, a 1980 graduate, also said his time at CM Life gave him the dedication for a job done right.
“It was a great way to learn, make mistakes and learn from those mistakes,” he said.
Hart was a photographer for the Associated Press. He also served as editor-in-chief of the Adrian Daily Telegram and is executive editor of AutoWeek Magazine.
In 2006, he published the book, “Postcards From Detroit: Remembering Formula 1 in the Motor City.”
Vruggink, 1970 graduate, was a sports writer for the Ypsilanti Press. He has worked as a sports information director for the University of Michigan, Northwestern University and Purdue University.
Vruggink is currently the trademark licensing manager for Purdue University.
He helped found the Northwestern Indiana chapter of the National Football Foundation, an organization that uses football to develop leadership in young people. He is also an executive board member of the Gale Sayers Center, which provides after-school programs for inner-city youth in Chicago.
Clarke, a 1982 graduate, wrote for the Cadillac Evening News, the Leader in Corning, N.Y., the Muskegon Chronicle and the Ann Arbor News. She also worked for the University of Michigan in communications and philanthropy.
In 1998, she started working for Haas & Associates, a public relations firm. In 2001, she returned to the University of Michigan, where she is currently the director of executive communications.
“I’m looking forward to the dinner this fall,” she said. “It’ll be fun to see those guys.”
