Just as we were preparing to go to press with this newsletter the devastating news came that one our founders, Kay Mills, died unexpectedly.

Our 2010 Camp in Boerne, Texas, was my first as president, and now it carries even more significance for me because it was Kay’s last. I cannot imagine Camp or JAWS without her. She gave us her wonderful wisdom, her razor-sharp intellect and her wonderful warmth and humor. Thank you, Kay, for chronicling our history and mentoring many of our newest members.

Thanks to all of you for sharing your memories at www.jaws .org and at our Facebook page.

As part of preparing for the 26th annual Camp, I had the pleasure of talking with one of our fellowship winners, whom I asked to be on a panel. She worked at one time for a wellknown national magazine focused on outdoor recreation.

She noticed that there seemed to be a push, editorially, toward what she dubbed “dude speak”— giving articles more of a male point of view. When she asked one of the editors about it, she was told the magazine was trying to move away from female readers so they could deliver a male-heavy demographic to advertisers.

As JAWS board member Fara Warner pointed out, clearly this publication was not only sexist, but it had completely ignored the wealth of research about how much financial power women wield in our society.

The story reminded me again that we must not fall into complacency. The recent incidents at the Chicago Tribune show how crucial it is to get more women into positions of power to make decisions on staffing and coverage. But we also need to make sure that when women reach these positions, they’re extending a hand down the ladder to bring more women up with them.

I also just want to say thank you to everyone who helped us put on another successful JAWS Camp. We had about 109 attendees, many from our host state, Texas. I want to send a special shout-out to Camp Program Co-Chairs Janet Vitt and Sharon Walsh. And thanks to all who worked with them to produce panels, run the auction and do so many other tasks. Thank you to our speakers for sharing their experience and wisdom with all of us, particularly our keynoters, Maria Hinojosa and Heidi Beirich. I want to particularly thank the women who spoke about covering the border. Your courage and tenacity are truly inspiring.

A huge thanks to our indefatigable executive director, Becky Day, and Linda La Fleur for doing the heavy lifting that is key to running Camp smoothly.

They even recruited their husbands to help! Thank you to Dan Day and Michael La Fleur for using your vacation time to make airport runs, pinch hit on technology issues and do a million other little things for us.

I also want to thank our outgoing board members: Nina Zacuto, Celina Ottaway, Janet Vitt and Arnesa Howell. And I welcome our new board members: E.J. Graff, Charreah Jackson, Julia Kagan, Peggy Sands Orchowski and Andrea Stone. And a big welcome to our president-elect, Katherine Rowlands!

Our next Camp is in Asheville, N.C., Sept. 23-25 and the program chair is board member Fara Warner. If you have suggestions or if you want to help, please contact her at farataye@yahoo.com.

The board is discussing some exciting possibilities for the coming year, including a year-round mentoring, or partnering, program. And we’re also exploring the idea of some regional workshops on blogging and building websites. We have been working on a plan for an advisory board that we hope will include well-known members of the media who can help us raise the profile of JAWS

Gayle Reaves, former JAWS president, spearheaded an effort with many journalism groups to send letters to Texas A&M University. It called upon administrators to reverse a policy that prevents journalism professors from assigning students to file open records requests with the A&M system. You can see the text of the letter on our website.

If there are other such issues on which you feel JAWS should lend its voice, please notify Becky and me. Earlier this year, an idea surfaced on the listserv to create a resource list of women experts in media that we can distribute to the organizers of panels and conferences. If you would like to work on this, let me know.

Remember that most people come into JAWS through an existing member. Can you hold a regional party or gathering? Becky can set you up with a JAWS “Party in a Box” and offer you some funds to cover costs. We know this is a tough time for many of our members. Maybe you can’t give financially right now. But can you give us some of your time? Can you help us with fundraising? That can include researching foundations and potential donors. Can you help us maintain and update the website? Are you interested in helping with membership or the newsletter? JAWS relies so much on all of you to share your talents. Thank you again.

Note: Our annual fundraising letter noted that Marguerite Higgins was the first woman to win a Pulitzer for international reporting. She shared the prize with five men in 1951. Betsy Wade pointed out that Anne O’Hare McCormick actually won a Pulitzer for foreign correspondence in 1937. That category was changed to international reporting in 1948.

Megan Kamerick is a senior reporterfor the New Mexico Business Weekly in Albuquerqueand independent radio producer for KUNM.