The Metropolitan Press Club of St. Louis is honoring United Media Guild member Rick Hummel as its 2014 Media Person of the Year.
He will accept the award at a dinner and awards presentation Jan. 21 at the Edward Jones Corporation atrium and theater in Des Peres.
Hummel’s storied career at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch has spanned four decades. In 2007 he received the J.G. Taylor Spink Award in 2007 at the Baseball Hall of Fame.
“I think it’s almost every kid’s dream to be sitting on this stage one day as a Hall of Fame player,” Hummel said during his acceptance speech, with former greats like Cal Ripken and Tony Gwynn on stage with him. “But my dream, like those of many others, was cut short. Call it ‘Death by Curveball.’
“Couldn’t hit it. Couldn’t throw it. Couldn’t even catch it. Couldn’t run very fast or hit with any power, but I bet I can type faster than any of you guys up here.”
The Press Club will also honor Robert Duffy, a former Guild member who was a long-time a critic at the Post-Dispatch. He later served as the cultural affairs editor at the newspaper before founding the St. Louis Beacon. Duffy will receive a Lifetime Achievement Award.
Also scheduled to receive a Lifetime Achievement Award is former Cardinals catcher and long-time baseball broadcast Bob Uecker.
Proceeds from this event will fund journalism/communications scholarships, investigative journalism projects and the St. Louis Public Library Media Archives.
For more information on the event and to order reservations, visit the Press Club’s website.