Tim Kalich, The Greenwood Commonwealth’s editor and publisher, has received one of Mississippi journalism’s prestigious awards, the Samuel Talbert Silver Em.
The annual award from the School of Journalism and New Media at the University of Mississippi was first presented in 1958, the year Kalich was born. The honor is given “to Mississippians who have notable journalism careers or journalists who have notable careers in Mississippi,” according to a release from the university.
The award was presented Wednesday by Andrea Hickerson, dean of the journalism school, during a ceremony at The Inn at Ole Miss, located on the campus in Oxford.
Kalich expressed his thanks, saying he shares the award with all the people with whom he has worked at the Commonwealth and his colleagues at other Emmerich Newspapers properties. He noted that four individuals who have been affiliated with the company — Jim Abbott, Charlie Dunagin, John Emmerich and Oliver Emmerich — have previously received the Silver Em.
After Kalich made his acceptance remarks, he received a standing ovation from the 140 people in attendance. Among those present was Wyatt Emmerich, president of Emmerich Newspapers. He is the son of John Emmerich and the grandson of Oliver Emmerich.
Kalich, who grew up in Kansas City, Kansas, has worked for the Commonwealth since 1982. He started as a reporter and since then has held numerous positions ranging from sports editor to circulation manager to general manager. He was named editor and publisher in 1995 following the death of the newspaper’s owner-publisher and editor, John Emmerich.
As the Commonwealth’s editor, Kalich is in charge of the newspaper’s editorial page, and his editorials also are often published in other newspapers statewide.
“Tim is one of the leading voices among editorial writers in our state and across the Southeast. His award-winning editorials, appearing on the opinion page of the Commonwealth, pull no punches,” said Abbott, retired editor-publisher of Indianola’s Enterprise-Tocsin newspaper, in a letter of nomination for Kalich.
Abbott wrote that Kalich has set “a standard for honest, objective journalism and has impacted the progress of Leflore County and Greenwood. Standing up for the truth, Tim’s professionalism and good judgment are balanced with his management skills and strong work ethic.”
“Tim has great courage and a consistent determination that his newspaper is there to serve the public,” Abbott wrote.
Among the award recipients at the ceremony Wednesday is Jaylin Smith of Greenwood, a graduate of Mississippi Valley State University. In May she will complete her graduate studies in the School of Journalism and New Media at the University of Mississippi. Standing with her is Tim Kalich, an award recipient and the editor and publisher of The Greenwood Commonwealth. Copyright 2024 Emmerich Newspapers, Inc.)
Kalich addressed dozens of university students who were attending the ceremony to receive awards and honors themselves, and he reflected on the value of getting an on-the-job education.
“Many of you want to start off in large cities or in other states,” Kalich observed. “But I still believe that if you really want to learn this craft, there is no better place to start than at a small daily or a weekly newspaper, where you get exposed to so much more than you would at a larger publication.”
His intention when he started as a reporter at the Commonwealth was to stay two years and then move on to a larger city and publication. Instead, Kalich remained in Greenwood and became a family man as well as a journalist.
Kalich told the crowd that the assistance and support of his wife, Betty Gail, have been more than important.
“In order to put out a newspaper even halfway well requires a lot of long hours. Late nights and plenty of weekends. Family plans that get canceled or postponed. Vacations that get interrupted when a major story breaks or the press breaks down. Betty Gail has accepted this. She may not quite have the patience of Job, but she’s very close,” he said.
Kalich said he does not know what the future holds for newspapers, given the dramatic shrinking in the industry during the past couple of decades.
“But this I do know. One of the great yearnings in human beings is for a sense of purpose. I imagine one of the saddest experiences a person could have after they have been in a career for a long time is to wake up one morning and wonder whether what they’ve done over all those years really mattered. Did it make a difference?
“As a journalist at this one newspaper in this one town, I have been spared those feelings of doubt. Greenwood may be just one small little corner of the world, but in that small little corner, I believe my life has made a difference. And for that, I will be forever thankful.”
The “Em” in Silver Em is newspaper lingo that was used daily when the award was established. When setting metal type, the width and height of letters were taken into account, and the letter M took up more space than other letters. An “Em” referred to space — taken up by a dash or left unoccupied — between letters.
Sixty-six years ago, the first Silver Em honored George W. Healy Jr., editor of the New Orleans Times-Picayune, and the second went to Turner Catledge, executive editor of The New York Times. The long list of recipients since then has included editors Hodding Carter Jr., Hodding Carter III, Ronnie Agnew, Hazel Brannon Smith and Willie Morris as well as writers Bill Minor, Curtis Wilkie, Emily Wagster Pettus and Jerry Mitchell.
- Contact Susan Montgomery at 662-581-7241 or smontgomery@gwcommonwealth.com.
