FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Oct. 1, 2008
Contact: Anika Mitchell Perkins
(662) 329-7124
aperkins@pa.muw.edu

Drew Shankle Journalism Scholarship Fund established at MUW

COLUMBUS, Miss. -- Drew Shankle developed a love for writing at a young age, and with the establishment of the Drew Shankle Journalism Scholarship Fund, his daughter hopes to inspire another generation of writers.

Dolores “Mickey” Hazzlerigg ‘52, who as a baby was nicknamed by her father, described him as amazing.

“At age 9, he was given a job at the Charleston, Mississippi, newspaper sweeping up and doing odd jobs. At age 14 in 1921, Mr. Meriwether, the publisher/editor, gave him a job on the paper as a writer,” she said.

The printers ink got in his blood early, according to Hazzlerigg, who said her father stayed there until 1927 when he became the news editor of the Greenwood Commonwealth.

In 1928, he joined the Columbus Commercial Dispatch, known today as The Commercial Dispatch.

Shankle ventured to the big city life and worked at the Chicago Tribune and the Memphis Commercial Appeal before returning to Columbus.

“Columbus tugged at his heart and he was back again at The Commercial Dispatch,” she said. “It was fascinating to watch him work. He typed 120 words per minute, hammering out stories, then he took them to the back of the shop and put the paper together.

“This was before computers. The typed stories were keyed into a linotype machine. The lead came out of the linotype machine reversed (like a rubber stamp). I don’t know how he read them so quickly. Everyone who worked with him called him a genius.”

In 1956, Shankle purchased the Donna, Texas, weekly newspaper and shortly after passed away due to a sudden heart attack.

During his time at the different newspapers, Shankle’s articles focused on news, sports, book reviews, interviews and even a series of contract bridge lessons.

For more information about this and other scholarships or how to establish a scholarship fund, please call MUW’s Office of Development at (662) 329-7148.