Hall welcomes six

From left are new inductees Steve Inskeep, Dorothy Leavell, Jim Shella, Linda Graham Caleca and Mike Lopresti. Not pictured is the sixth inductee, the late Ida Husted Harper. (Photo by board member Gena Asher)

The Indiana Journalism Hall of Fame welcomed six new members during its 56th induction ceremony April 29 at Woodland Country Club in Carmel, Indiana.

The newest members are:

• Linda Graham Caleca, investigative reporter and team leader at The Indianapolis Star and communications professional for several organizations;

• Ida Husted Harper, pioneering journalist in the late 1800s to early 1900s who championed women’s suffrage through her writing and activism;

• Steve Inskeep, NPR reporter and current host of the network’s Morning Edition program;

• Dorothy Leavell, editor and publisher of the Crusader Newspaper group for 55 years;

• Mike Lopresti, sports reporter who covered events around the globe and in small-town America;

• And Jim Shella, longtime reporter, anchor and host at WISH-TV and WFYI in Indianapolis.

All are award-winning standouts in their fields, IJHF board president Stephanie Salter told the 100 or so attendees at the ceremony. They join more than 200 members representing numerous historical eras, media industries and life experiences. They all share an Indiana connection, whether Hoosier-born or spending years working in Indiana – or both.

Inductees were introduced with bio videos highlighting their work. Then each took time to address the crowd.

Board president Stephanie Salter with inductee Linda Graham Caleca, right. (Photo by board member Linda Negro)

Linda Graham Caleca talked about her early journalism days at Northwestern and how that experienced shaped her ground-breaking work at The Indianapolis Star. Investigative teams she reported with or led won numerous awards and changed how organizations operated, she said.

Whatever the work, “we wanted to give voice to people who are forgotten, neglected, left behind or subjected to injustice,” she explained.

Melissa Gentry accepted the honor on behalf of the late Ida Husted Harper, whose talents as a journalist, columnist, author and suffragist were critical in helping Susan B. Anthony persuade lawmakers to pass the 19th Amendment giving women the right to vote. Gentry, a librarian at Ball State University, and others from the Notable Women of Muncie project nominated Harper.

NRP’s Steve Inskeep, who grew up in Carmel, brought his family friend, mother and daughter to the ceremony. (Photo by board member Linda Negro)

Steve Inskeep talked about his days growing up in Carmel and following his brother’s footsteps in announcing sports for his high school radio station. From those beginnings, he went on to cover war zones and politics at NPR before taking on his anchor slot.

“I learned at my high school radio station to describe what’s in front of you, state the facts and let others debate,” he said of training that he said has served him well as a reporter and host.

Dorothy Leavell inherited the publisher’s chair when widowed at age 24 and raising toddlers. For nearly six decades, she has led the Crusader in northwest Indiana. 

Board president Stephanie Salter presented inductee Dorothy Leavell with her award. (Photo by board member Linda Negro)

“For all of that time, I have been devoted to the community and people I serve, to try to find ways to help,” she said of her long career. “I don’t always succeed, but I don’t stop trying.”

Sportswriter Mike Lopresti covered highlights of his career but focused on the people he interviewed and the colleagues who supported and enlightened him.

“I wanted to find the interesting things, tell the story and let the reader have it,” he said of his interviews with sports stars well-known and obscure – and some people not directly involved in sports.

“There was a father who traveled to see his son run in the Olympics in Athens but was given the wrong time and missed the event,” Lopresti said of a story that appealed to even non-fans.

Jim Shella’s long broadcast career in Indianapolis generated investigative pieces, political analyses and a few stories picked up nationally. From the early 1980s, he saw broadcast journalism evolve, endure changes and, in his retirement, his own shift to writing columns for print.

All those career moves have a common theme, a theme shared with the other inductees, he said.

“Journalism is the ability to take a look at something and see things other people don’t see,” he said. “Then, describe those things in a way that people can see it.”

The nonprofit Indiana Journalism Hall of Fame is accepting nominations for the 57th class through Oct. 31, 2023. Use the online submission form to nominate a journalist for considerations.