Stuttering Foundation Announces 2014 Journalism Award Winners

For Immediate Release  
greg@curleycompany.com
571-239-7474

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (May 27, 2014) — The Stuttering Foundation, www.StutteringHelp.org, announced the winners of its 2014 Awards for Excellence in Journalism today.

“Journalists are an important part of our effort to spread the word about stuttering. It is critical that we take a moment each year to thank them for their good work,” said Jane Fraser, president of the nonprofit Foundation. “This year, we are honoring a number of outstanding writers, reporters, producers and editors for their work, which has a lasting impact on the stuttering community.”

The 2014 awardees are:

National Newspaper

First Place: Kim Painter of USA Today: “Early Treatment for Stuttering Has Value,” Sept. 18, 2013.

Syndicated Columnist

First Place: Miss Manners: “Proper Protocol When Speaking with Someone Who Has a Stutter,” Feb. 21, 2014.

Radio

First Place: Deborah Gordon of WWFS-FM/CBS Radio, May 7, 2013, interview with Dr. Lisa A. Scott of Florida State University and Stuttering Foundation President Jane Fraser.

First Place: C-Span, U.S. House of Representatives Floor coverage of U.S. Rep. Frank Wolf (R-10^th, VA) during his speech “Support of Those Who Stutter” on March 6, 2014.

Daily Newspapers

First Place (tie): Dennis Yohnka of The Daily Journal (Kankakee, IL): “Student Solving His Stuttering” and “How Do You React to Stuttering?” May 13 and 16, 2013.

First Place (tie): Jerrilyn Zavada of MyWebTimes.com: “Finding Her Voice: Ottawa Teen Lives with Stuttering,” Oct. 28, 2013.

Second Place (tie): Maryann Batlle of Naples Daily News: “Lazaro Arbos’ American Idol Run Inspires Others Who Stutter,” April 12, 2013.

Second Place (tie): Krista Midgley of The Edwardsville Intelligencer: “Helping a Child with Speech Issues,” Sept. 10, 2013.

Third Place: Kaylyn Christopher of The Register-Herald and The Times-West Virginian: “Helping Students Face Challenges That Often Come with Stuttering,” Nov. 18, 2013.

Internet Blog/Web site

First Place: Madeline Wahl of the Huffington Post: “What It Actually Feels Like to Stutter,” Nov. 15, 2013.

Second Place: Christine Bilger of Zing! Blog/Quicken Loans: “Childhood Stuttering: When to Get Help and What You Can Do,” Aug. 8, 2013.

Third Place: Mary Mejia of The Killeen Daily Herald Let’s Talk Blog: “Stuttering – It Just Happens,” Jan. 22, 2014.

Magazine

First Place: Nan Bauer of Ann Arbor Family: “Help for Children Who Stutter,” August 2013.

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Foundation Spokesperson Jane Fraser
Jane Fraser is president of The Stuttering Foundation and co-author of If Your Child Stutters: A Guide for Parents, 8th edition. She is also vice president of the Action for Stammering Children, Michael Palin Centre in London.

About the Foundation 
Malcolm Fraser, a successful businessman and stutterer, established and endowed the nonprofit Stuttering Foundation in 1947. The Stuttering Foundation provides a toll-free helpline, 800-992-9392, and free online resources at www.StutteringHelp.org, including services, referrals and support to people who stutter and their families, as well as support for research into the causes of stuttering.

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CELEBRITY FOCUS

Bruce Willis

While the world knows Bruce Willis as an A-list actor, few know that he struggled with stuttering throughout his first 20 years.

Walter Bruce Willis was born in 1955 in West Germany to his German mother, Marlene, and his American GI father, David Willis. The family settled in David’s hometown of Penns Grove, New Jersey in 1957, and the couple has three other children.

Emily Blunt

Actress Emily Blunt struggled with stuttering early in her life. A teacher encouraged her to act in a school play at age 12 despite her stuttering.

Blunt’s name is prominently featured on the Stuttering Foundation's list of Famous People Who Stutter.

Ken Venturi

As much of the nation watches the U.S. Open Golf Championship, it is impossible not to think about our late friend Ken Venturi. Ken overcame many challenges to win the Open at Congressional in 1964 and go on to become the voice of golf for more than three decades.

However, Ken faced no bigger obstacle than stuttering. Ken Venturi was a champion to those who stutter, going out of his way to share his personal experience when consulted by a colleague, friend, or child who stutters.

Bob Love

Bob Love has dreamt about being a great public speaker since his early days in Bastrop Louisiana, even though, as a young man, he could barely put two words together, let alone speak a full sentence.

In spite of his severe stuttering disability, Bob Love, the son of a sharecropper, rose to become a Chicago Bulls NBA superstar, whose records were eventually surpassed by Michael Jordan. Throughout his entire athletic career, Bob Love kept his stuttering a secret from the fans who adored him, thinking he could do his “talking” on the basketball court.

Bill Withers

While Bill Withers has long been on the Stuttering Foundation's list of Famous People Who Stutter, many people probably didn’t realize he stuttered. He passed away on March 30, 2020.

Born in 1938 in Slab Fork, W.V., Withers was the youngest of six children. When his father died when Withers was small, he was raised by his mother and grandmother, both of whom worked as domestics.