John Hughes, long-time publisher of The Daily World and recently retired state historian, was honored by his peers with a lifetime achievement award at the Washington Newspaper Publishers Association’s annual convention in Wenatchee on Oct. 4.

Hughes and his wife Patsy attended the convention, where they received a standing ovation upon receiving WNPA’s highest form of recognition, the Miles Turnbull Master Editor/Publisher Award.

The award is given to a community newspaper leader who has “worked hard, thought soundly, influenced unselfishly, lived honorably and is entitled to the very highest honors and respect of the profession.”

Turnbull, a close friend of John Hughes, died in 1994 at age 64. Like Hughes, Turnbull was a staunch advocate for the First Amendment and for Washington’s proud tradition of high-quality community journalism.

As state historian in the Secretary of State’s Office, in recent years Hughes has written biographies and prepared oral histories of many of the state’s leading 20th century leaders, including Govs. Booth Gardner and John Spellman, and 19th Legislative District state Sen. Sid Snyder. His efforts will keep their memory alive and inspire future generations of Washingtonians.

It was my privilege to nominate Hughes for the award and I want to let his Aberdeen neighbors know how highly he is regarded in the news industry.