TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- The University of Alabama Media Planning Board recently gave its top award for service to undergraduate media and also honored several students for their work.

Felicia Mason, executive director of the Alabama Press Association (APA), received the Sarah L. Healy Award at the 2003 Media Planning Board banquet, held in May at the Four Points Sheraton in Tuscaloosa. The Healy Award is UA’s top honor given for service to student media.

The banquet is held to recognize contributions to UA student media, which include The Crimson White newspaper, the Corolla yearbook, WVUA-FM, the Marr’s Field Journal undergraduate literary magazine, Black Warrior Review graduate literary magazine, Southern Historian journal of Southern history, and the state’s scholastic journalism outreach program, the Alabama Scholastic Press Association (ASPA).

Mason, who was retail sales manager of The Crimson White as a UA undergraduate, has been closely involved in the establishment of a $2,500 scholarship for the Alabama High School Journalist of the Year, funded by the APA Journalism Foundation and awarded at the ASPA State Convention each fall.

Under Mason’s leadership, APA conventions have involved high school newspaper advisers and issues related to scholastic journalism. A panel at last year’s APA State Convention in Huntsville prompted professional journalists to come to the aid of high school journalists through support of high school free press issues. Under Mason, APA has partnered with ASPA in the introduction of a high school free press bill in the state legislature. Mason also assisted The Crimson White in becoming a partner in APA’s Alascan cooperative classified advertising program.

The Sarah L. Healy award is named for the longtime dean of women and member of the Media Planning Board at UA.

Four UA students were honored with the University’s top award for student service to student media. Corolla editor Sarah Fleischman of Columbia, S.C., received the James E. Jacobson award for management. ASPA student worker Jennifer Coakley of Tuscaloosa received the Jacobson award for service. CW staff writer Nick Beadle of Green Hill won the Jacobson award for writing. CW photographer Louisa Morenilla of Huntsville earned the Jacobson award for photography. The James E. Jacobson awards are named for the former Birmingham News executive editor who was editor of The Crimson White in 1957. Jacobson presented the awards to the students.

Corolla business manager Mark Beaty of Hoover and WVUA-FM promotions director Demetri Ravanos of Mobile received the Walter C. Densmore Jr. award for service in business and marketing.

Office of Student Media director Paul Isom received the James W. Oakley Chairman’s award for commitment to and support of student media. The award is named for longtime MPB chair and former Centreville Press publisher Jim Oakley. Oakley is also the placement director for the UA College of Communication and Information Sciences.

The following were honored for work on The Crimson White:

Sports Editor Matt Giesman of Dothan received the Lewis Each Editor’s award as the year’s top CW editorial staff member. This award is given in honor of Winston Lewis Each Jr., a former CW sports writer who died of cystic fibrosis in 1998.

The James L. Tucker Jr. Memorial Character award was given to Jon Ezell of Tuscaloosa for his work in creative services. The award is named for Tucker, a CW advertising sales representative who was killed in an automobile accident in 1996.

Others were:

• Chris Sanders of Warrior, most valuable editor
• Nick Beadle and Graham Flanagan of Tuscaloosa, most valuable reporters
• Drew Champlin of Tuscaloosa and Alex Merritt of Little Rock, Ark., the David C. Johnson award as most valuable sports staff member
• Steve Wilson of Mobile, the Greg Hammett award as most improved sports staff member
• Laura Shill of Hoover, most valuable photographer
• Lauren Davidson of Madison, most valuable designer
• Megan Hardin of Anniston, service and dedication to the classified advertising department
• Carla Parker of Birmingham (35242) and Monique Dastugue of Tuscaloosa, outstanding retail advertising sales and service
• Kyle McDougal of Bessemer, most valuable team member in creative services

The following were honored for work with WVUA-FM:

• Jesse O’Reilly of Kent, DJ of the year
• Jarrod Shadrick of Trussville, director and sportscaster of the year
• Nick Rymer of Cranberry Township, Pa., outstanding service and dedication to WVUA-FM

Others include:

• Stephen Schwab of Tuscaloosa, service to the Southern Historian
• Lisa Rudden of Hoover, service to the Marr’s Field Journal
• Jennifer Coakley of Tuscaloosa, service and dedication to ASPA