Golden 50 Club

The VPA Golden 50 Club is an "honor roll" of individuals who have spent a minimum of 50 years in the Virginia newspaper industry. Nominations are solicited from among the membership, and those honorees (and guests) are invited to attend the induction ceremony, which takes place during the annual Executive Management Retreat in Virginia Beach.

Following is the roster of Golden 50 Club members. The first inductions were held in 2006, coinciding with the 125th anniversary of the Virginia Press Association:

2006

Patsy Allamong, Northern Virginia Daily, Strasburg
Frank Batten Sr., Landmark Communications Inc., Norfolk
Ray Boone, Richmond Free Press
Sen. Harry F. Byrd Jr., The Winchester Star
H.C. Lodge Compton, The Virginia Mountaineer
John Warren Cooke, Gloucester-Mathews Gazette-Journal
Guy Friddell, The Virginian-Pilot, Norfolk
Charlie Meads, The Virginian-Pilot, Norfolk
Frank Nanney, The South Hill Enterprise
Josiah P. Rowe III, The Free Lance-Star, Fredericksburg
Bennie Scarton Jr., Manassas Journal Messenger
Bill Wall, The Farmville Herald

2007
Doug Coleburn, Courier-Record, Blackstone
Allen Litten, Daily News-Record, Harrisonburg

2008
No inductions

2009
Hanes Byerly, The Tidewater News, Franklin
William G. "Bucky" Fore, The Farmville Herald
Campbell Overton, The Farmville Herald
Johnnie Southall, The Farmville Herald

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