If you haven’t heard, our resident hall of famer Hal McCoy suffered a setback last week, but he’s on the road to recovery and reminds high school seniors…it’s time to apply for next spring’s journalism scholarship from Press Pros.
You may not have heard. Last Friday morning, on his way to either get a cup of coffee (or to get rid of one), our own Hal McCoy fell and broke his right hip. Life isn’t fair, huh? I’m sure he would rather have done it by breaking up a double play at second base.
Nonetheless, it happened, and Hal had surgery Saturday morning at Miami Valley Hospital (where he’ll be for the next few days) to fix things. I went to visit on Sunday and he assures me that 1) the Reds will win the National League Central next year, and 2) he’ll back in his duties as the UD Flyers writer for Press Pros in a matter of a few weeks. And who can doubt him on either matter?
In lieu of flowers, if you’d like to let Hal know you’re thinking of him…he suggests a gift pack of Monte Cristo White Label cigars in their place. Broken hip notwithstanding, he lives by the mantra of Cheech and Chong – Up In Smoke!
It’s also a good time to remind high school seniors with their eye on a career in journalism that this is first call for applications for Hal’s 2020 scholarship for those who want to pursue a career (or college degree) in Journalism, Communications, or even a career in teaching Language Arts. It’s an annual award of $2,500, sponsored by the Unity National Bank, and it’s available to high school seniors from the primary Press Pros coverage market in Miami, Montgomery, Shelby, Auglaize, Mercer, Darke and Champaign counties.
Troy’s Luke Severt was recipient of the 2019 Hal McCoy Scholarship for studies in Journalism.
This will mark the eighth consecutive year of the Hal McCoy Award, and last year’s winner, Troy’s Luke Severt, is currently enrolled at the University of Missouri School of Journalism. Other winners from past years include David Brauer (Newton), Paige Thobe (Minster), Cameron Godsey (Miami East), and John Husa and Kris Lee (Lehman), and Franchesca Hackworth (Arcanum). So it can happen for you, as well.
“I’m delighted to participate in this,” says Hal. “Delighted to have my name associated with an effort to help the next generation of writers, broadcasters, and teachers of the English language. My own regret is that it wasn’t available when I was in school. $2,500 would have come in handy back in the 60s.”
If you’re interested, contact Press Pros by email through your high school guidance counselor for an application. The Deadline for applying is April 1, 2020, and you must have plans to attend an accredited school for the fields of study listed above.
Here’s another incentive. This is a very narrow field, and applications usually don’t exceed a dozen, so your chances of winning are very good.
Just don’t put it off. Contact us now and get your name in the hat. We can always use another writer. Someone might break a hip.
With Julie Monnin (Unity National Bank, far left), Minster's Paige Thobe (center) received the Hal McCoy Scholarship for Journalism in 2018. Paige is currently studying at Ohio State University. (Press Pros File Photos)