The rapid pace of news reporting may cause many journalism students to feel overwhelmed. However, they only have to look to former Temple University professor Mary Connelly Graff as inspiration. Graff taught at Temple from 1980 to 1985 and also worked in the Journalism Department at Klein College of Media and Communication as assistant chairwoman and director of undergraduate programs. As one of the pioneers for women in media workplaces, she was known for her tough but invaluable guidance as both a reporter and an instructor. 

Graff passed away in January 2019 at age 87 and to honor her legacy, former Klein student and friend John Hall, KLN ‘86, and his wife Christine Johnson-Hall, established the Mary Connelly Graff Award at Klein as an annual award for a rising sophomore, junior or senior journalism student with demonstrated financial need. 

Graff grew up in a prominent family from New York City and graduated from the University of Michigan in 1954. She began her career at Newsweek in 1957 as a researcher, won six Publisher’s Awards with the New York Journal-American in 1965 and 1966 and was the first female Washington correspondent for the Chicago Tribune. 

Graff won a city award for uncovering bribe-taking in Baltimore’s sanitation department while at the Baltimore News American. She earned a Parks Council award in 1974 while at the New York Post for a series exposing mismanagement of city parks. She retired in 1994 as the society editor for The New York Times.

In addition to her professional accomplishments, Graff recognized the importance of sharing her knowledge and experiences with aspiring journalists. It was for this reason that she served as an adjunct instructor at New York University and Syracuse University, the latter of which was where she earned her master's degree in journalism in 1982. She also wrote a stylebook for student journalists. 

John Hall is a senior publishing editor at The Wall Street Journal and was introduced to Graff during his freshman year at Temple. He remembers her as a demanding instructor but one who only wanted her students to be the best journalists possible. Hall often turned to Graff for academic and career advice and she quickly became a mentor and family friend, even attending his wedding.

“Mary...was very generous with her time,” Hall says. “She helped a lot of students above and beyond the call and she knew what a difference these types of awards could make. So I think the idea is, there’s a student out there for whom these kinds of awards might make the difference between focusing on school or having to work one or two part-time jobs just to get by.”

Christine Johnson-Hall is a former reporter and editor who worked for 22+ years as a writer and editor at the investment management company Vanguard and is also the president of CJH Communications LLC. She was moved by Graff’s charisma and drive for investigative journalism. When Graff became the executive editor of the Beaumont News, she asked Johnson-Hall to assist her as production editor. The newsletter served her retirement community in the Philadelphia suburb of Bryn Mawr. Graff brought on other residents as staff members and photographers to elevate the Beaumont News, from a standard newsletter to a publication featuring hard-hitting stories and insightful commentary.

“Even in retirement, I got to see exactly what kind of incredibly intense, sharp mind and questions and dedication she had,” Johnson-Hall says. “She would write budget stories and get into spirited debates with the president of Beaumont and she did not hold back.”

Hall, who says Graff’s Park Avenue background did not stop her from feeling “just as at home on Broad Street,” wants students to know that they can improve their communities and themselves if they are driven by their curiosity. A lifelong learner, she was skilled in several languages and took joy in navigating the newest technology.

Hall and Johnson-Hall believe that journalism students should apply to the award to pursue opportunities that may be available to them with more financial flexibility.

“I think that she would be really pleased to know that this gift was made to help young journalists and to give them opportunities to really work hard on their journalism and excel like she did,” Johnson-Hall says.

If you wish to make a donation to the Mary Connelly Graff Award, please visit giving.temple.edu/maryconnellygraff. 

To learn more about establishing a scholarship or supporting Klein students in other ways, please contact Karen Gallagher, assistant dean, development and alumni relations at [click-for-email] or go to giving.temple.edu/kleincollege.