Behind everyone who achieves something very important, very early, is an older someone who critiques, applauds, knows the ropes, and maybe pulls a string. Richard M. Clurman was such a man, most famously as Chief of Correspondents of the Time-Life News Service (1960–69), one of the biggest news operations in the world.

Clurman had been an originator of the Awards as a member of the Foundation's board. He was solely responsible for operationalizing them. When he died in May 1996, the Board and its panel of judges quickly decided to memorialize him with a new prize. Equally easily, they decided that he should be remembered as a superb, on the job mentor.

The Richard M. Clurman Award has been presented to Charles Peters, Washington Monthly; Gordon Manning, NBC News (retired); William F. Buckley Jr., National Review; Mary McGrory, The Washington Post; Thomas Winship, International Center for Journalists; Arthur Gelb, The New York Times; Clay Felker, The Felker Magazine Center; Eugene Patterson, St. Petersburg Times; and Jim Bellows, New York Herald Tribune.

© 1999-2002 University of Michigan