Jack Rhea Tannehill, former owner of The Union Appeal and The Newton County Appeal, will receive the Mississippi Press Association’s lifetime achievement award during the annual summer press convention in July.
Tannehill, who bought the paper with his father in 1967, never imagined that he would receive this honor.
“This honor is really more about the people here than it is about me,” Tannehill said. “I never really did anything special or significant. All I did was print a newspaper that people could trust.”
The MPA Annual Meeting will be held July 9-10 at the Golden Nugget Casino and Hotel. One of the highlights will be the induction of Tannehill in the MPA Hall of Fame. Tannehill worked in journalism and newspapering for nearly 45 years, operating the paper following his father’s death in 1968 and eventually merging it with The Newton Record to form the Newton County Appeal in 2009. His father is also a member of the Hall of Fame.
Tannehill served as MPA president in 1981 during a period of rapid growth for the Association.
“Jack Rhea is eminently qualified and most deserving of this very high honor. As a second generation newspaper publisher, he grew up in the newspaper publishing business,” said MPA Past President and fellow Hall of Famer Sid Salter, who nominated Tannehill, in MPA’s Fourth Estate newsletter. “But beyond that, Jack Rhea was an innovator in terms of newspaper design and production, photography, ad sales and design, pre-print insert design, sales and publishing, and exhibited courage in the way he covered controversial news and made timely editorial commentaries.”
Tannehill will be honored during the President’s Reception Friday evening, July 9.
Tannehill said he was also pleased with current Appeal owner Wyatt Emmerich in allowing the newspaper to stay relevant to the community.
“I am pleased that Wyatt has allowed this newspaper to stay a good newspaper,” Tannehill said.
