The 2010 Elmo Ellis Spirit Award Recipient
1925 - 2007
Dr. Worth McDougald
University of Georgia Department of Radio-Television-Film
Director-The Peabody Awards
Worth McDougald, born in Statesboro, Georgia, taught himself to hunt and peck on a tiny 1930’s portable typewriter in his father’s country store. Editor of his high school newspaper, worked for newspapers in Statesboro and Decatur, attended Emory University, entered the Navy V-12 program in WWII as an officer. He trained at Notre Dame, at Harvard, and was communications officer on the USS Appalachian providing press and reporters accommodations throughout the Pacific theater of war. He officiated communications during the Bikini Atom/Hydrogen bomb tests, and returned to the Navy during the Viet Nam war retiring as a Lieutenant Commander. He received a Masters and a Doctorate through Ohio State and Iowa State Universities. He worked for (and later was an owner) of WWNS in Statesboro. He was hired as a professor under Dean John Drewry at UGA Journalism, remaining for approximately 40 years, helping develop the School of Mass Communications. Students knew him as “Dr. Mac”. McDougald is in the Georgia Broadcasters Association Hall of Fame. His outstanding effort was the development of the Peabody Awards. As Director, he saw them rise to become the most prestigious media awards in America.
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