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May 6, 2025

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A gathering to celebrate four great careers. Photo by Mark Humphrey

Colleagues,

Good Tuesday morning on this May 6, 2025,

A celebration of the careers of four of AP’s finest took place Saturday night in Nashville, where Sam Moore, Nancy Nussbaum, Michelle Williams and Adam Yeomans were honored by a group of 50 colleagues who came from near and far to recognize their service.

We lead with a story on the Music City gathering. Linda and I were honored to be there.

On Monday afternoon, the 2025 Pulitzer Prizes were announced - and although The Associated Press didn't bring home a Pulitzer, it was named a finalist in three categories – and we bring you that story as well.

One of our Connecting colleagues was a Pulitzer winner in Breaking News Photography – Doug Mills of The New York Times, former AP chief photographer in Washington where he was part of AP team coverage that won two Pulitzers. His winning photo came during the assassination attempt on President Trump on July 13, 2024, and showed a bullet whizzing by inches from his head. A remarkable photo.

Many of us believed the photo from the Trump assassination attempt taken by AP photographer Evan Vucci would win the Pulitzer in Breaking News. It was on the cover of Time Magazine. The Atlantic said Vucci’s photo became immediately legendary and added, “However you feel about the man at its center, it is undeniably one of the great compositions in U.S. photographic history.” The Guardian called it one of the photographs that defined 2024. Just days ago, it earned first place in spot news photos and Best of Show in the 2025 National Headliner Awards.

But Vucci's photo wasn't even a Pulitzer finalist. "One of these days," a longtime respected newspaper editor wrote me this morning, "someone will explain to me why the AP did not win a Pulitzer for its Trump assassination photo."

No sour grapes here, by him or by me. In no way do I mean to question the Pulitzer judges or the quality of Doug's winning photos. I wrote Doug right after the announcement to say that as an AP guy through and through, I was pulling for Evan's photo to win - but that if it did not, I was glad his did. He's a class act and hugely talented.

All this reminded me of two memorable days from my bureau chief days in Indianapolis and Kansas City when spot photos taken by member newspapers did not even warrant an honorable mention in our state APME photo contests, but went on the win Pulitzer Prizes. Ya never know… And the quality and history represented in Evan’s and Doug's photos are with us forever.

Here’s to a great day – be safe, stay healthy, live it to your fullest.

Paul

AP Career Celebration in Nashville honors four former top AP performers

Honored by their former AP colleagues – from left, Adam Yeomans, Nancy Nussbaum, Michelle Williams and Sam Moore. Photos by Mark Humphrey.

Paul Stevens - The event was called an AP Career Celebration – and it lived up to its name for nearly four hours last Saturday night in downtown Nashville when Sam Moore, Nancy Nussbaum, Michelle Williams and Adam Yeomans were honored by former AP colleagues.

Sure, Metallica may have drawn a few more people to its concert happening at the same time, blocks away across the Cumberland River at Nissan Stadium.

But the rock group was no match for the outpouring of enthusiasm and love for the four people who made great contributions to The Associated Press and to journalism as a whole, but whose jobs were eliminated when AP announced late last year it would cut staffing by 8 percent.

Their combined AP work experience totaled about 125 years. Their contributions to the AP invaluable.

“I’ve always said the best part of working at AP was its people,” Nussbaum said at the party. “Tonight reinforces that. I’ve learned from the best, people who were at the top of their game and many are here tonight. My AP career was a great ride and I am thankful for that.”

Williams said, “It was a humbling, nostalgic and joy-filled night.”

Those who were honored at the PBR Cowboy Bar:

Sam Moore who had more than 24 years of news experience - including a stint as News Director at WAPT-TV in Jackson MS - when he joined AP. His first AP role was as the first State Television Editor in the history of The Associated Press. After four years, he went back to the television newsroom, before joining AP's Revenue Division in 2000. Over 24 years, he went from Regional Television Executive to, ultimately, a Director of Major Groups. Among his achievements during this time, he brought Nexstar Broadcasting and its 170 stations back into membership after they had done without AP for 15 years, as well as sell ENPS to each of their stations. During his time in television, he received both a Murrow and an Emmy, as well as multiple state awards. 

Nancy Nussbaum – Joined the AP from The Times-Picayune in New Orleans when she was hired by Peter Mattiace in August 1992 in Charleston, W. Va. Moved to the Columbus, Ohio, bureau in January 1997, where she was broadcast editor, news editor and also assistant bureau chief for Ohio and Michigan. As assistant bureau chief, she was part of a SWAT team that traveled the country training newsrooms on our new platform, AP Exchange. In April 2015, Nancy was named director of training and engagement and in June 2020, that evolved to global director of engagement and ultimately senior director of global engagement. In October 2023, her responsibilities expanded in the new role of senior director of global customer communication, her last role with AP. In her time at AP, she trained thousands of AP customers on our products and platforms. She also was a race caller for Michigan through numerous election cycles.

Michelle Williams, Director of U.S. Media Groups, ended a nearly 35-year career with AP last September. She joined the AP in 1989 as a temporary news clerk six months after graduating from Belmont University in Nashville. She was promoted to temp reporter, then transferred to a permanent reporting position in Milwaukee, where she was one of the lead reporters on the Jeffrey Dahmer serial killer story. She was promoted to Chattanooga correspondent in 1992, then supervisory correspondent for San Diego in 1997. She returned to Nashville in 2000 as news editor for Tennessee, then promoted to news editor for Texas in 2003, when it had nearly 50 employees and nine bureaus. She was named assistant bureau chief in 2006, and in 2007 was promoted to bureau chief for Arizona and New Mexico. In 2010, she moved to Atlanta as South Atlantic bureau chief, then named South Regional Director in 2012, overseeing the sales team for 13-state territory. She relocated back to her hometown of Nashville after her promotion in 2014 to major groups director, where she managed AP’s relationships with some of the top media companies in the U.S., and more than $30 million in revenue in 2023. 

Adam Yeomans with Patty Casillo, who worked in Revenue at AP HQ and among the veteran employees laid off by AP last year. She and Samantha Jach took a roadtrip from New Jersey to Tennessee to join the celebration, including Patty’s 28-year career and birthday.

Adam Yeomans - Hired by AP in 1993 in Tallahassee, Florida, where he covered politics and state government. Before AP he worked nearly nine years as a reporter with The Orlando Sentinel. In 1996, AP named Adam news editor for Florida based in Miami and later promoted him to assistant bureau chief. He was named bureau chief for Tennessee in 2005, and added Kentucky and Mississippi to his region before the company revamped the domestic bureau structure starting in 2009 and eliminated the bureau chief position. He was AP’s regional director for the Southeast when the company eliminated his position in late 2024.

The celebration ended with the unveiling of a cake, adorned with -30- - used by journalists during the pre-digital age to indicate the end of a story before it was transmitted by teletype or sent for print typesetting. 

New York Times wins 4 Pulitzers, New Yorker 3; Washington Post wins for coverage of Trump shooting

By DAVID BAUDER

NEW YORK (AP) — The New York Times won four Pulitzer Prizes and the New Yorker three on Monday for journalism in 2024 that touched on topics like the fentanyl crisis, the U.S. military and last summer’s assassination attempt on President Donald Trump.

The Pulitzers’ prestigious public service medal went to ProPublica for the second straight year. Kavitha Surana, Lizzie Presser, Cassandra Jaramillo and Stacy Kranitz were honored for reporting on pregnant women who died after doctors delayed urgent care in states with strict abortion laws.

The Washington Post won for “urgent and illuminating” breaking news coverage of the Trump assassination attempt. The Pulitzers honored Ann Telnaes, who quit the Post in January after the news outlet refused to run her editorial cartoon lampooning tech chiefs — including Post owner Jeff Bezos — cozying up to Trump. The Pulitzers praised her “fearlessness.”

The Pulitzers honored the best in journalism from 2024 in 15 categories, along with eight arts categories including books, music and theater. The public service winner receives a gold medal. All other winners receive $15,000.

The New York Times showed its breadth with awards honoring reporting from Afghanistan, Sudan, Baltimore and Butler, Pennsylvania. Doug Mills won in breaking news photography for his pictures of the Trump assassination attempt, including one that captured a bullet in the air near the GOP candidate.

The Times’ Azam Ahmed and Christina Goldbaum and contributing writer Matthieu Aikins won an explanatory reporting prize for examining U.S. policy failures in Afghanistan. Declan Walsh and the Times’ staff won for an investigation into the Sudan conflict.

A big milestone for a new local news outlet

The Times was also part of a collaboration with The Baltimore Banner, whose reporters Alissa Zhu, Nick Thieme and Jessica Gallagher won in local reporting for stories on that city’s fentanyl crisis and its disproportionate effect on Black men. The Banner was created three years ago, with several staffers who had left the Baltimore Sun.

“This is a huge milestone for us,” editor in chief Kimi Yoshino said in an interview. “I told the newsroom today that never in my wildest dreams did I think we would be here at this moment. It is a testament to the power of local news, the need for local news and what journalists can do when they focus on important stories in our community.”

The Banner created a statistical model that it shared with journalists in cities like Boston, Chicago and San Francisco for stories there, she said.

Reuters won for its own investigative series on fentanyl, showing how lax regulation both inside and outside the United States makes the drug inexpensive and widely available. inewsource.org in San Diego was a finalist in the illustrated reporting and commentary category for its stories on fentanyl.

The New Yorker’s Mosab Abu Toha won for his commentaries on Gaza. The magazine also won for its “In the Dark” podcast about the killing of Iraqi civilians by the U.S. military and in feature photography for Moises Saman’s pictures of the Sednaya prison in Syria.

The Wall Street Journal won a Pulitzer for its reporting on Elon Musk, “including his turn to conservative politics, his use of legal and illegal drugs and his private conversations with Russian President Vladimir Putin,” the Pulitzer board said. The Journal was also a finalist for its “cool-headed” reporting on the plight of Evan Gershkovich, who was imprisoned in Russia.

A special citation for a career covering civil rights

The Pulitzers also gave a special citation to the late Chuck Stone for his work covering the civil rights movement. The pioneering journalist was the first Black columnist at the Philadelphia Daily News and founded the National Association of Black Journalists.

Mark Warren of Esquire won the feature writing prize for his portrait of a Baptist pastor and small-town mayor who died by suicide after his secret online life was exposed by a right-wing news site.

Alexandra Lange, a contributing writer for Bloomberg CityLab won an award in criticism for “graceful and genre-expanding” writing about public spaces for families.

The Houston Chronicle Raj Mankad, Sharon Steinmann, Lisa Falkenberg and Leah Binkovitz won the Pulitzer in editorial writing for its series on dangerous train crossings.

The Associated Press was a finalist in breaking news reporting for its own coverage of the Trump assassination attempt, and in investigative reporting for its partnership with PBS FRONTLINE and the Howard Center for Investigative Journalism at the University of Maryland and at Arizona State University for stories documenting more than 1,000 deaths at the hands of police using methods of subduing people that were supposed to be non-lethal.

Click here for link to this story.

Click here for Poynter’s Tom Jones’ take on the Pulitzers.

AP was a Finalist in…

Breaking news reporting

Staff of Associated Press for fast, comprehensive and authoritative coverage of the assassination attempt on then-presidential candidate Donald Trump, including vivid details from the scene followed by the first reporting on gaps in security measures by the Secret Service and local law enforcement

Investigative reporting

Staffs of Associated Press and “Frontline” for a three-year investigation involving dozens of reporters and the creation of a database to document more than 1,000 deaths around the country in which police officers subdued victims with methods intended to be nonlethal

Feature photography

Photography staff of The Associated Press for their brave and gripping imagery from Gaza that steps back from the front lines to chronicle daily life as it continues in a war zone.

Renovation of Kentucky Capitol brings memories of AP bureau's history

Chuck Wolfe - The AP Kentucky Capitol bureau in Frankfort is being closed as part of a building-wide evacuation and relocation as the Capitol undergoes a top-to-bottom renovation.

I live two blocks away, so newsman Bruce Schreiner on Monday invited me up for a last look around. It was reminiscent of a time capsule. For example, I worked in this bureau from December 1983 until I left the AP in September 2004, and all my old files are still there.

The bureau door still bears a placard plotting the five Kentucky bureaus AP once had. Note the sticker on the filing cabinet to mark AP’s 150th anniversary in 1998.

Same filing cabinet with a small section of my files, in this case tracking former Govs. Brereton Jones, Paul Patton and Ernie Fletcher. Typewriter on top belonged to Sy Ramsey, longtime Frankfort correspondent. Sy died in the bureau in October 1983.

Keystone News Summit Set for May 15-16 in Harrisburg

HARRISBURG, Pa. — The Keystone News Summit, a first-of-its-kind event focused on the future of local journalism, will take place May 15-16, 2025, at the Hilton Harrisburg. This two-day event will bring together media professionals, nonprofit leaders, journalism educators and policymakers to address the urgent challenges facing local news and explore innovative solutions for sustainability.

“Too many communities have lost their reliable source of news. This summit aims to offer workable solutions to help restore quality, unbiased reporting to every Pennsylvanian,” said David Brown, assistant dean for community and communication at Temple University’s Klein College of Media and Communication.

Duquesne University, Temple University, Penn State, Lehigh University and Point Park University organized the inaugural event, which will delve into four areas critical to the future of journalism: philanthropy in the newsroom, diversified business models, university partnerships and government and legislative initiatives.

“The collaboration needed to bring the Keystone News Summit from concept to reality has been inspiring to be a part of,” said Pamela E. Walck, director of the Patricia Doherty Yoder Institute for Ethics and Integrity in Journalism and Media at Duquesne University. “The summit represents an opportunity to confront the challenges facing local journalism head-on by bringing together an array of voices from across the industry to foster dialogue, share innovative strategies and work toward solutions that strengthen local news in Pennsylvania and beyond.”

For more information, registration details and the full schedule, click here.

 (Shared by Tara Bradley-Steck)

Connecting wishes Happy Birthday

Bob Haiman

Greg Nokes

Stories of interest

Maga media mob: meet the new rightwing faces in the White House briefing room (Guardian)

Richard Luscombe

A disgraced ultra-conservative banjo player ousted from his Grammy-winning band; a far-right conspiracy theorist with alleged ties to Russia; a TikTok creator known as “Maga Malfoy” for his resemblance to the Harry Potter character; and an extremist social media “influencer” once banned from Twitter for posting a video depicting sexual abuse of a child.

These are just some of the “new media” personalities courted by the White House to take part in a series of alternative briefings championed by Donald Trump’s press secretary, Karoline Leavitt.

An extraordinary gallery of Trump-promoting characters has paraded through the West Wing in recent days, answering Leavitt’s call for “independent journalists” and “influencers” to attend her press gatherings.

Some of their fawning, softball or otherwise baffling questions have provoked derision and concern, while the topics, predictably, have covered a wide range of propaganda, conspiracy and other extremist talking points. Here are some of the highlights:

Read more here. Shared by Doug Pizac.

Today in History - May 6, 2025

By The Associated Press

Today is Tuesday, May 6, the 126th day of 2025. There are 239 days left in the year.

Today in history:

On May 6, 1937, the hydrogen-filled German airship Hindenburg caught fire and crashed while attempting to dock at Lakehurst, New Jersey; 35 of the 97 people on board and one crew member on the ground were killed.

Also on this date:

In 1882, President Chester Alan Arthur signed the Chinese Exclusion Act, which barred Chinese laborers from immigrating to the U.S. for 10 years. (The act would remain in effect until 1943.)

In 1889, the Eiffel Tower opened to the public as part of the Paris World’s Fair.

In 1935, the Works Progress Administration was established under an executive order signed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

In 1954, medical student Roger Bannister broke the four-minute mile during a track meet in Oxford, England, finishing in 3:59.4.

In 1994, former Arkansas state worker Paula Jones filed a suit against President Bill Clinton, alleging he’d sexually harassed her in 1991. (Jones reached a settlement with Clinton in November 1998.)

In 1994, the Channel Tunnel connecting England and France beneath the English Channel was officially opened in a ceremony attended by Queen Elizabeth II and French president François Mitterrand.

In 2004, President George W. Bush apologized for the abuse of Iraqi prisoners by American soldiers at Abu Ghraib prison, calling it “a stain on our country’s honor and reputation,” but rejected calls for Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld’s resignation.

Today’s Birthdays: Rock musician Bob Seger is 80. Country musician Jimmie Dale Gilmore is 80. Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair is 72. TV host Tom Bergeron is 70. Actor Roma Downey is 65. Actor-director George Clooney is 64. Hockey Hall of Famer Martin Brodeur is 53. Actor Adrianne Palicki is 42. Actor Gabourey Sidibe (GA’-bah-ray SIH’-duh-bay) is 42. NBA point guard Chris Paul is 40. Actor-comedian Sasheer Zamata is 39. Rapper Meek Mill is 38. Actor-singer Naomi Scott is 32. WNBA forward Angel Reese is 23.

AP classes, by the year...

(EDITOR'S NOTE: This is a listing of Connecting colleagues who have shared the year and the bureau where they started with the AP. If you would like to share your own information, I will include it in later postings. Current AP staffers are also welcome to share their information. We include deceased staffers when their information is shared; their names are italicized.)

1951 - Norm Abelson (Boston)

1953 – Charles Monzella (Huntington, WVa)

1955 – Henry Bradsher (Atlanta), Paul Harrington (Boston), Joe McGowan (Cheyenne)

1957 - Louis Uchitelle (Philadelphia)

1958 – Roy Bolch (Kansas City), Robert Dubill (Buffalo)

1959 – Charlie Bruce (Montgomery)

1960 – Claude Erbsen (New York), Bill Lenz (Detroit), Carl Leubsdorf (New Orleans), Harry Moskos (Albuquerque)

1961 – Peter Arnett (Jakarta, Indonesia), Strat Douthat (Charleston. WVa), Warren Lerude (San Diego), Ed Staats (Austin)

1962 – Paul Albright (Cheyenne), Malcolm Barr Sr. (Honolulu), Myron Belkind (New York), Dave Mazzarella (Newark), Peggy Simpson (Dallas), Kelly Smith Tunney (Miami)

1963 – Hal Bock (New York), Jeff Williams (Portland OR)

1964 – Rachel Ambrose (Indianapolis), Larry Hamlin (Oklahoma City), John Lengel (Los Angeles), Ron Mulnix (Denver), Lyle Price (San Francisco), Lew Simons (New York), Arlene Sposato (New York), Karol Stonger (Indianapolis), Hilmi Toros (New York)

1965 – Bob Dobkin (Pittsburgh), Harry Dunphy (Denver), John Gibbons (New York), Bob Greene (Kansas City), Jim Luther (Nashville), Larry Margasak (Harrisburg), Rich Oppel (Tallahassee), Jim Rubin (Trenton). Lynn Sherr (New York), Mark Thayer (San Francisco)

1966 – Shirley Christian (Kansas City), Mike Doan (Portland, OR), Edie Lederer (New York), Nancy Shipley (Nashville), Mike Short (Los Angeles), Marty Thompson (Seattle), Nick Ut (Saigon), Kent Zimmerman (Chicago)

1967 – Dan Berger (Los Angeles), Adolphe Bernotas (Concord), Lou Boccardi (New York), Linda Deutsch (Los Angeles), Don Harrison (Los Angeles), Frank Hawkins (New York), Doug Kienitz (Cheyenne), David Liu (New York), Bruce Lowitt (Los Angeles), Chuck McFadden (Los Angeles), Martha Malan (Minneapolis), Bill Morrissey (Buffalo), Larry Paladino (Detroit), Michael Putzel (Raleigh), Bruce Richardson (Chicago), Richard Shafer (Baltimore), Victor Simpson (Newark), Michael Sniffen (Newark), Kernan Turner (Portland, Ore)

1968 – Lee Balgemann (Chicago), John Eagan (San Francisco), Earleen Fisher (Indianapolis), Joe Galu (Albany/Troy), Peter Gehrig (Frankfurt), Charles Hanley (Albany), Jerry Harkavy (Portland, Maine), Herb Hemming (New York), Brian King (Albany), Samuel Koo (New York), Karren Mills (Minneapolis), Michael Rubin (Los Angeles), Rick Spratling (Salt Lake City), Barry Sweet (Seattle)

1969 - Ann Blackman (New York), Ford Burkhart (Philadelphia), Harry Cabluck (Pittsburgh), Dick Carelli (Charleston, WVa), Dennis Coston (Richmond), Ron Frehm (New York), Mary V. Gordon (Newark), Daniel Q. Haney (Portland, Maine), Mike Harris (Chicago), Brad Martin (Kansas City), David Minthorn (Frankfurt), Cynthia Rawitch (Los Angeles), Bob Reid (Charlotte), Mike Reilly (New York), Doug Tucker (Tulsa), Bill Wertz (Minneapolis), Jim Willse (New York), Bill Winter (Helena)

1970 – Richard Boudreaux (New York), David Briscoe (Manila), Sibby Christensen (New York), Richard Drew (San Francisco), Bob Egelko (Los Angeles), James Gerstenzang (San Francisco), Steve (Indy) Herman (Indianapolis), Tim Litsch (New York), Lee Margulies (Los Angeles), Arthur Max (Tel Aviv), Chris Pederson (Salt Lake City), Brendan Riley (San Francisco), Chuck Robinson (Indianapolis), Larry Thorson (Philadelphia)

1971 – Harry Atkins (Detroit), Jim Bagby (Kansas City), Larry Blasko (Chicago), Jim Carlson (Milwaukee), Jim Carrier (New Haven), Chris Connell (Newark), Bill Gillen (New York), Bill Hendrick (Birmingham), John Lumpkin (Dallas), Kendal Weaver (Montgomery)

1972 – Hank Ackerman (New York), Rod Davis (Dallas), Bob Fick (St. Louis), Joe Frazier (Portland, Ore.), Terry Ganey (St. Louis), Mike Graczyk (Detroit), Denis Gray (Albany), Lindel Hutson (Little Rock), Linda Kramer Jenning (San Francisco), Brent Kallestad (Sioux Falls), Tom Kent (Hartford), Nolan Kienitz (Dallas), Kent Kilpatrick (Detroit), Andy Lippman (Phoenix), Mike Millican (Hartford), Bruce Nathan (New York), Ginny Pitt Sherlock (Boston), Lew Wheaton (Richmond)

1973 - Jerry Cipriano (New York), Susan Clark (New York), Norm Clarke (Cincinnati), Marty Crutsinger (Miami), Steve Fox (Los Angeles), Joe Galianese (East Brunswick), Merrill Hartson (Richmond), Mike Hendricks (Albany), Tom Journey (Tucson), Steve Loeper (Los Angeles), Jesus Medina (New York), Ellen Miller (Helena), Tom Slaughter (Sioux Falls), Jim Spehar (Denver), Paul Stevens (Albany), Jeffrey Ulbrich (Cheyenne), Owen Ullmann (Detroit), Suzanne Vlamis (New York), John Willis (Omaha), Evans Witt (San Francisco)

1974 – Norman Black (Baltimore), Julie Dunlap (Philadelphia), David Espo (Cheyenne), Dan George (Topeka), Robert Glass (Philadelphia), Steve Graham (Helena), Tim Harper (Milwaukee), Elaine Hooker (Hartford), Sue Price Johnson (Charlotte), Fong Lien (Los Angeles), Dave Lubeski (Washington), Janet McConnaughey (Washington), Lee Mitgang (New York), Barry Shlachter (Tokyo), Bud Weydert (Toledo), Marc Wilson (Little Rock) 

1975 – Peter Eisner (Columbus), Charles Hill (Charlotte), Jim Limbach (Washington), Bill McCloskey (Washington), David Powell (New York), Eileen Alt Powell (Milwaukee)

1976 – Brad Cain (Chicago), Judith Capar (Philadelphia), Dick Chady (Albany), David Crary (Jackson), Steve Crowley (Washington), Diane Duston (Columbus), David Egner (Oklahoma City), Carole Feldman (Newark), Steve Hindy (Newark), Marc Humbert (Albany), Steven Hurst (Columbus), Richard Lowe (Nashville), Mike Mcphee (Boston), John Nolan (Nashville), Guy Palmiotto (New York), Charlotte Porter (Minneapolis), Chuck Wolfe (Charlotte)

1977 – Bryan Brumley (Washington), Robert Burns (Jefferson City), Charles Campbell (Nashville), Carolyn Carlson (Atlanta), Dave Carpenter (Philadelphia), Solange De Santis (New York), Jim Drinkard (Jefferson City), Ken Herman (Dallas), Mike Holmes (Des Moines), Doug Jeffries (New York), Brad Kalbfeld (New York), Larry Kilman (Atlanta), Scott Kraft (Jefferson City), John Kreiser (New York), Peter Leabo (Dallas), Kevin LeBoeuf (Los Angeles), Ellen Nimmons (Minneapolis), Joyce Rosenberg (New York), Dan Sewell (Buffalo), Estes Thompson (Richmond), David Tirrell-Wysocki (Concord)

1978 – Jane Anderson (Providence), Vinnie D'Alessandro (Hartford), Tom Eblen (Louisville), Ruth Gersh (Richmond), Monte Hayes (Caracas), Doug Pizac (Los Angeles), Charles Richards (Dallas), Reed Saxon (Los Angeles), Steve Wilson (Boston)

1979 – Jim Abrams (Tokyo), Peter Banda (Albuquerque), Brian Bland (Los Angeles), Scotty Comegys (Chicago), John Daniszewski (Philadelphia), Frances D’Emilio (San Francisco), Pat Fergus (Albany), Brian Friedman (Des Moines), Sally Hale (Dallas), Susana Hayward (New York), Jill Lawrence (Harrisburg), Warren Levinson (New York), Joe Madison (New York), Barry Massey (Kansas City), Phillip Rawls (Nashville), John Rice (Carson City), Kurt Rossi (New York), Linda Sargent (Little Rock), Joel Stashenko (Albany), Robert Wielaard (Brussels)

1980 – Alan Adler (Cleveland), Christopher Bacey (New York), Diane M. Balk (Indianapolis), Jeff Barnard (Providence), Mark Duncan (Cleveland), Bill Kaczor (Tallahassee), Mitchell Landsberg (Reno), Mike Mazzo (East Brunswick), Kevin Noblet (New Orleans), Lee Perryman (Tampa), Jim Rowley (Baltimore), David Speer (Jackson), Hal Spencer (Providence), Jo Steck (Los Angeles), Carol J. Williams (Seattle)

1981 – Paul Davenport (Phoenix), Dan Day (Milwaukee), John Flesher (Raleigh), Debra Hale-Shelton (Little Rock), Len Iwanski (Bismarck), Ed McCullough (Albany), Drusilla Menaker (Philadelphia), Kim Mills (New York), Mark Mittelstadt (Des Moines), Susan Okula (Hartford), Roland Rochet (New York), Larry Ryckman (Carson City NV), Lee Siegel (Seattle), Marty Steinberg (Baltimore), Bill Vogrin (Kansas City)

1982 – Dorothy Abernathy (Little Rock), Al Behrman (Cincinnati), Tom Cohen (Jefferson City), John Epperson (Chicago), Ric Feld (Atlanta), Kiki Lascaris Georgio (New York), Nick Geranios (Helena), Mike Gracia (Washington), Howard Gros (New Orleans), Mark Humphrey (Nashville), Dan Juric (East Brunswick), Robert Kimball (New York), Rob Kozloff (Detroit), Bill Menezes (Kansas City), David Ochs (New York), Eric Risberg (San Francisco), Cecilia White (Los Angeles)

1983 – Elise Amendola (Boston), Edward L. Birk (Boston), Donna Cassata (Albany), Scott Charton (Little Rock), Sue Cross (Columbus), Mark Elias (Chicago), Mary Esch (Albany), Doug Fisher (Columbus), Alan Fram (Newark), David Ginsburg (Washington), Lisa Hamm-Greenawalt, Diana Heidgerd (Miami), Kevin McGill (New Orleans), Sheila Norman-Culp (New York), Carol Esler Ochs (New York), Jim Reindl (Detroit), Amy Sancetta (Philadelphia), Angie Lamoli Silvestry (New Orleans), Rande Simpson (New York), Dave Skidmore (Milwaukee), Barbara Worth (New York)

1984 – Laurie Asseo (Phoenix), David Beard (Chicago), Owen Canfield (Oklahoma City), Wayne Chin (Washington), Jack Elliott (Oklahoma City), Jim Heintz (Columbus), Candice Hughes (Dallas), Danny Johnston (Little Rock), Kelly P. Kissel (New Orleans), Hank Kurz (New York), Joe Macenka (Richmond), Paul Newberry (Atlanta), Eva Parziale (San Francisco), Walt Rastetter (New York), Malcolm Ritter (New York), Keith Robinson (Columbus), Cliff Schiappa (Kansas City), David Sedeño (Dallas), Andrew Selsky (Cheyenne), Pedro Sotomayor (Los Angeles), Patty Woodrow (Washington)

1985 – Dennis Conrad (Cleveland), George Garties (Los Angeles), Beth Grace (Columbus), Betty Kumpf Pizac (Los Angeles)

1986 – Joni Baluh Beall (Richmond), David Beard (Jackson), Tom Coyne (Columbia, SC), Dave DeGrace (Milwaukee), Alan Flippen (Louisville), Paul Geitner (Montgomery), Jim Gerberich (San Francisco), Howard Goldberg (New York), Mark Hamrick (Dallas), Sandy Kozel (Washington), Arlene Levinson (Boston), Robert Meyers (London), David Morris (Harrisburg), Susan Ragan (New York), Lori Dodge Rose (Jefferson City), Bob Seavey (Lima), Barbara Woike (New York)

1987 – Donna Abu-Nasr (Beirut), Jim Anderson (Mexico City), Dave Bauder (Albany), Bob Bellafiore (Albany), Chuck Burton (Charlotte), Ted Duncombe (Philadelphia), Beth Harris (Indianapolis), Lynne Harris (New York), Steven L. Herman (Charleston, WVa), Elaine Kurtenbach (Tokyo), Rosemarie Mileto (New York), John Rogers (Los Angeles), Julia Rubin (Denver)

1988 – Chris Carola (Albany), Peg Coughlin (Pierre), Frank Eltman (New York), Kathy Gannon (Islamabad), Steve Hart (Washington), Melissa Jordan (Sioux Falls), Margaret Lillard (Nashville), Bill Pilc (New York), Philip Rosenbaum (New York), Kelley Shannon (Dallas), Darlene Superville (Newark)

1989 – Charlie Arbogast (Trenton), Susan Boyle (New York), John Braunreiter (Milwaukee), Ted Bridis (Oklahoma City), Paul Randall Dickerson (Nashville), Katie Fairbank (Indianapolis), Ron Fournier (Little Rock), Ann Gibson (Richmond), Josh Lemieux (Kansas City), Teresa Walker (Nashville)

1990 – David Boe (Chicago), Frank Fisher (Jackson), Ken Giglio (Washington), Kathryn Loomans (Washington), Dan Perry (Bucharest), Steve Sakson (Baltimore), Sean Thompson (New York)

1991 – Amanda Kell (Richmond), Suzanne Mast Lee (Washingon), Santiago Lyon (Cairo), Lisa Pane (Hartford), Wayne Partlow (Washington), Ricardo Reif (Caracas), Bill Sikes (Buffalo)

1992 – Emery P. Dalesio (Trenton), Jennifer Garske (Washington), Kerry Huggard (New York), Wilfredo Lee (Washington)

1993 – Connie Farrow (St. Louis), Shawn Pogatchnik (London), Jim Salter (St. Louis), Tim Sullivan (New York), Adam Yeomans (Tallahassee)

1994 - Glen Johnson (Boston), Ralph Siegel (Trenton)

1995 – Elaine Thompson (Houston), Donna Tommelleo (Hartford)

1996 – Patricia N. Casillo (New York), Burt Herman (Sacramento), John Khin (New York)

1997 – J. David Ake (Chicago), Peter Banda (Albuquerque), Martha Bellisle (Carson City), Kia Breaux (Kansas City), Chuck Burton (Charlotte), Pamela Collins (Dallas), Aaron Jackson (New York), Rachel La Corte (Miami), Madhu Krishnappa Maron (New York), Jim Suhr (Detroit), Jennifer Yates (Baltimore)

1998 – Alan Clendenning (New Orleans), Guthrie Collin (Albany), David Koenig (Dallas), Mitch Stacy (London), Richard Turkheimer (New Orleans)

1999 – Melinda Deslatte (Raleigh), Stacey Plaisance (New Orleans), Laura Rauch (Las Vegas), Terry Spencer (Miami)

2000 – Carrie Antlfinger (Milwaukee), Betsy Blaney (Dallas), Gary Gentile (Los Angeles), Ken Miller (Oklahoma City), Rhonda Shafner (New York), Tom Tait (Las Vegas)

2001 - Mike Weissenstein (New York)

2002 - Michael Casey (Jakarta)

2003 - Valerie Komor (New York)

2004 - Jim Baltzelle (Dallas)

2005 – Ric Brack (Chicago), Richard Jacobsen (Mexico City), Frank Jordans (London)

2006 – Jon Gambrell (Little Rock)

2008 - Steve Braun (Washington)

2011 - Joseph B. Frederick (New York)

2013 - Alex Sanz (Atlanta)

2014 - Peter Costanzo (New York)

2024 - Gabriela Aoun (San Diego)

Got a photo or story to share?

Connecting is a daily newsletter published Monday through Friday that reaches 2,000 retired and former Associated Press employees, present-day employees, and news industry and journalism school colleagues. It began in 2013. Past issues can be found by clicking Connecting Archive in the masthead. Its author, Paul Stevens, retired from the AP in 2009 after a 36-year career as a newsman in Albany and St. Louis, correspondent in Wichita, chief of bureau in Albuquerque, Indianapolis and Kansas City, and Central Region vice president based in Kansas City.

Got a story to share? A favorite memory of your AP days? Don't keep them to yourself. Share with your colleagues by sending to Ye Olde Connecting Editor. And don't forget to include photos!

Here are some suggestions:

- Connecting "selfies" - a word and photo self-profile of you and your career, and what you are doing today. Both for new members and those who have been with us a while.

- Second chapters - You finished a great career. Now tell us about your second (and third and fourth?) chapters of life.

- Spousal support - How your spouse helped in supporting your work during your AP career. 

- My most unusual story - tell us about an unusual, off the wall story that you covered.

- "A silly mistake that you make"- a chance to 'fess up with a memorable mistake in your journalistic career.

- Multigenerational AP families - profiles of families whose service spanned two or more generations.

- Volunteering - benefit your colleagues by sharing volunteer stories - with ideas on such work they can do themselves.

- First job - How did you get your first job in journalism?

- Most unusual place a story assignment took you.

Paul Stevens

Editor, Connecting newsletter

paulstevens46@gmail.com