Pioneering Journalist Creates a Legacy

For more than two decades, an endowment created by pioneering journalist Gertrude Poe has supported outstanding students in the Philip Merrill College of Journalism. Gertrude Poe served as editor, publisher and owner of the weekly Laurel (Md) Leader for 40 years and was elected as the first woman president of the Maryland-Delaware-DC Press Association. She has won much recognition and many honors for her contributions to her community.

The endowment she established at the University of Maryland is among her most important legacies. Dozens of students have received scholarships through this fund to help them earn a degree from one of the nation's top schools of journalism. Preference in these awards is given to undergraduates who plan to seek a career in community journalism, assuring the future strength and vigor of the free press at all levels.