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Andrew Barnes Named 1998 Nelson Poynter Award Winner
St. Petersburg Times Publishing Company President and Chairman Andrew Barnes was selected by the ACLU Foundation of Florida Board of Directors as the recipient of the 1998 Nelson Poynter Civil Liberties Award.
This year's dinner honoring Mr. Barnes and celebrating the efforts of all Floridians who defend the Bill of Rights will be held Saturday, November 14, at the historic Heritage Inn in St. Petersburg. A reception with cocktails will begin at 7:00 p.m. and the dinner will follow at 8:00 p.m.
In a sense, the Poynter Award is returning to its roots. Named for the late publisher of the St. Petersburg Times, Nelson Poynter, the award is presented annually to Florida's civil libertarian of the year. Mr. Barnes has continued the tradition of Nelson Poynter as Chairman of the St. Petersburg Times. Under his leadership, the Times continues to be a staunch defender of free speech and a free press, speaking out for the poor and the elderly, and fighting for racial and gender equality.
Mr. Barnes is a native of New York and a graduate of Harvard University with a degree in history. Before coming to the St. Petersburg Times, he worked for the Providence (R.I.) Journal and the Washington Post. In 1973 he joined the Times as Assistant Managing Editor and Metropolitan Editor. In 1976 he was promoted to Managing Editor and named Editor and President in 1984. In 1988 he succeeded Gene Paterson as Chief Executive of the Times Publishing Company and Chairman of The Poynter Institute for Media Studies. He is married to the former Molly Otis; they have two sons, a daughter, and two grandchildren.
The ACLU Foundation of Florida annually presents the Nelson Poynter Civil Liberties Award to a person or persons who have made a major contribution to the cause of civil liberties in Florida. The first recipient, in 1978, was the late Florida Governor Leroy Collins, who was recognized for his courageous leadership in upholding racial justice and opposing the death penalty. Other recipients include: State Senator Jack Gordon, State Senator Helen Gordon Davis, State Representative William E. Sadowski, Judge Richard Yale Feder, American Bar Association and Florida Bar President Chesterfield Smith, State Representative and FSU Law School Dean Talbot "Sandy" D'Alemberte, St. Petersburg Times President Eugene C. Patterson, Pioneer ACLU Volunteer Harriette Glasner, State Representative Michael Friedman, Pioneer ACLU of Florida Builder Milton "Bud" Gottesman, State Representative Lois J. Frankel, Congressman William E. Lehman, Judge Rosemary Barkett, ACLU Attorney Gardner Beckett, Lesbian/Gay Rights and AIDS Activist and ACLU Attorney Allan H. Terl, ACLU Activists Margo & Ray Yazell, Dade County School Board Member Janet McAliley, First Amendment Attorney George K. Rahdert, Public Interest Attorney Stephen F. Hanlon, Civil Liberties Attorney and Activist James K. Green, and eighteen attorneys for their opposition to Florida's death penalty and their assistance to those who face it.
ACLU Foundation of Florida Executive Director Howard Simon commented, "Mr. Barnes is a fitting addition to the distinguished list of Poynter Award recipients. In both his professional and personal life, he has exemplified a deep commitment to the principles and societal values inherent in the Bill of Rights."
