Special Flint Edition
UNIVERSITY
DAILY KANSAN
39TH YEAR
LAWRENCE, KANSAS THURSDAY, JUNE 5, 1941
Special Flint Edition
NUMBER 157
Throng To Honor Flint Tonight
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Department Was Founded Here In 1909
Thirty-two years young is the University department of journalism this year. Although time has somewhat overshadowed the memory of its founding, the early days of its growth and establishment remain alive and real in the memory of Prof. L. N. Flint, retiring head of the department who was one of the members of the first faculty and helped establish it as a division of the College.
Flint can recall vividly the volunteer reporting classes that worked with a class in newspaper study under the department of English in writing articles that were printed in local papers and in the independently-managed University Kansan.
The establishment of journalism as an independent department, however, does not completely cover the history of this study at the University. Technically the department cannot be claimed as the first in the United States. However, in 1891 Prof E. M. Hopkins taught a course in reporting that may possibly be claimed as the first course in journalism ever to be offered in the United States.
Three Students Enrilled
It was in this year that Dean F. W. Blackmar, who had become interested in journalism, suggested that Hopkins teach a course in reporting
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L. N. FLINT
'The Skipper' Retires As Department Head
Today the dean of American teachers of journalism retires from his 25 years of service as the head of the department of journalism at the University. For 35 years Prof. L. N. Flint has been connected with the Kansas department of journalism, and since 1916 he has been chairman.
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Hundreds to Hear Clapper's Address
More than 300 past and present students, Kansas editors, and friends will gather around a table in the ballroom of the Memorial Union building at 6:15 tonight to pay tribute to the dean of American professors of journalism, Leon Nelson Flint, who is retiring this spring as head of the department of journalism
Suggests Second Generation Club
The formation of a second-generation Flint club has been suggested by A. E. Palmer, advertising manager of the Santa Fe Trail Transportation company in Wichita.
A student in the department in 1914, Palmer is the father of Ed Palmer, college sophomore.
Other members of the two-generation group are Oscar Stauffer, student in 1912 and now a leading Kansas publisher, and his son Stan Stauffer, junior in the department; and C. W. Kanaga, student in 1911 and now advertising manager of Jenkins Music company in Kansas City, and his son, Clint Kanaga, junior in the department.
Five Star Final
Tonight's program will be one of "fives for Flint." "The Skipper" is retiring at the age of 65. He has been a member of the department 35 years; head of the department 25 years; and the event is tied in with the Seventy-fifth Anniversary.
at the University after a quarter of a century of service.
With William Allen White, the sage of Kansas editors, acting as toastmaster, and Raymond Clapper, former student of the department and now ace Washington correspondent, the speaker of the evening, the dinner will provide a climax to Flint's long career of service. Plans for the banquet were started in January although Mr. Flint was not informed until late in April. The dinner will be unique in that it is strictly an invitational affair.
Oldest of the journalism school executives in years of service, Flint will retire July 1 at the age of 65. He has been a member of the department for the past 35 years and plans to teach for another five seasons before scratching a "30" on his record of service to the newspaper profession.
Speaker In This Afternoon
Clapper, who studied under Professor Flint in 1915 and 1916, probably will devote the first part of his speech to recalling memories of his work in the department before turning to a discussion of the press and world affairs. He arrived in Kansas City late this afternoon by air. He will return to Washington by sleeper plane late tonight. His total time allotment in the Mid-
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Working Guests
Clapper, White To Help University Celebrate
RAYMOND CLAPPER
Raymond Clapper and William Allen White. They might be classified as "working guests" of the University during the Seventy-fifth Anniversary celebration.
Clapper will work his way through the week by serving as principal speaker at the Flint Dinner, June 5. "Bill" White has an even tougher job. He is the man who has to tell a funny story about each of the guests at the Flint dinner—for he's the toastmaster.
Clapper has had what might be termed a whirlwind career, with a typewriter following him all the way through the whirlwind.
Whirlwind Career
The now-eminent political commentator was born in LaCygne in 1892, and went to high school in Kansas City, Kan. He enrolled at
the university in 1913 and was married to Olive Ewing the same year. He remained in college three years, then gave it up to accept a position as reporter on The Kansas City Star.
Was President of SDX
Later he went to the United Press and his work took him to Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul, New York, and finally to Washington, D. C. There he was chief political writer from 1923 to '28 and manager of the Washington bureau from 1929 to '34. His present political column has been a feature of Scripps-Howard newspapers since 1936.
In 1938 Clapper was elected national honorary president of Sigma Delta Chi, national journalism fraternity.
Call Him Bill
Called "bill" by everyone who knows him, White has been, since
1895, the editor of a paper in a small Kansas town of less than 15,-000. Today the Emporia Gazette is one of the world's most famous newspapers, and Bill White's influence cannot be gauged even by the number of his readers. Bought Paper in 1895
Bill White was born in Emporia in 1868, went to high school in El-Dorado, and tried college in Emporia for a few months in 1885. He entered the University of Kansas in 1886 and stayed till 1890, but he didn't graduate. He quit to take a job on the ELDorado Republican at $18 a month. He worked up the scale on the Republican until he became managing editor, then went into a bigger field and started writing editorials for The Kansas City Star.
In 1895 White borrowed $3,000,
and bought the Emporia Gazette.
WILLIAM ALLEN WHITE