A century of excellence
On April 10, 1926, Quill & Scroll was formed at the University of Iowa. Since then, its been busy recognizing the hard work of scholastic journalists and advisers around the world.
Over the last 100 years, Quill & Scroll has granted more than 15,000 charters in all 50 states and more than 35 countries. Our membership has grown to over 1.5 million lifetime members.
Quill & Scroll 100 years ago
Quill & Scroll got its start when renowned pollster George H. Gallup, Sr. and a group of high school advisers gathered in Iowa and formed Quill & Scroll. At that point, 19 original charters were granted across Iowa, Indiana, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, South Dakota, Wisconsin and Wyoming. To the right is the original charter granted to Iowa City High School.
The organization’s first president was Elizabeth White from Central High School in Nebraska. Gallup, Sr. led the organization for several years, before handing the role to Edward Nell who was the executive secretary until 1957.
In 2022, Quill & Scroll merged with the National Scholastic Press Association and moved its headquarters to Minnesota.
Meet past Quill & Scroll leaders
The Society would not be what it is today without the dedicated leadership of many people, including the six executive directors or secretaries that led Quill & Scroll to 2026. Learn more about past leaders and hear from the three most recent directors below.
George H. Gallup, Sr. | 1926 – 1932
George H. Gallup, Sr. founded Quill & Scroll in 1926 and continued to be involved for more than 50 years. Best known as the world’s leading public opinion pollster and founder of the Gallup Poll, he was a dedicated supporter and champion of scholastic journalists across the country until his death in 1984. In an article written at the time of his death, former Quill & Scroll Executive Secretary Lester G. Benz remembered Gallup Sr. for his lifelong devotion to Quill & Scroll and Journalism, saying he was “never was too busy to provide counsel and guidance to the flourishing Quill and Scroll Society.”
Edward J. Nell | 1931 – 1957
Edward J. Nell was Quill & Scroll’s second executive secretary, held the position from 1931 to 1957 and left a longstanding legacy at the organization. He was a beloved journalism professor at Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism and a charter member of the United Nations Association of Chicago. When he died in 1957, many friends shared memories in the Quill & Scroll magazine that Nell had edited for the 25 years before his death. He is remembered as a “friend of high school journalists everywhere” and an outstanding advocate for scholastic journalism.
Lester G. Benz | 1957 – 1972
Lester G. Benz was Quill & Scroll’s third executive secretary, filling the role from 1957 to 1972. He loved working at Quill & Scroll and saw it as an opportunity to contribute to something he considered to have “tremendous importance,” he wrote in his last Quill & Scroll column, Scratchings from the Editor’s Pen. Through that column Benz offered advice and perspective on issues facing scholastic journalism for 15 years. Scratchings from the Editor’s Pen continued after Benz’s retirement.
Richard P. Johns | 1972 – 2007
Executive director from 1972 to 2007
How did you first get involved with Quill & Scroll?
I got involved at Quill and Scroll when I was Director of a spring journalism seminar for high school students and advisers from Northwest Indiana high schools that took place at the Valparaiso University campus. In April 1968 Lester Benz, then executive secretary of Quill and Scroll Society was our invited keynote speaker. During the advisers luncheon he asked me if I would consider coming to the University of Iowa. At first, I really didn’t know what to say finally I responded saying I need to talk to my wife and high school principal before giving him an answer. During the remainder of the lunch he shared what was involved with the position at the School of Journalism as well as Quill and Scroll. Nancy and I weren’t sure what to do but our principal encouraged us to go to the University of Iowa for the interviews. After much serious thought and discussion about why we should or should not we made the move in late August 1968 and the rest is history.
What is the heart of Quill and Scroll? What makes the organization special?
The heart of Quill and Scroll is the outstanding honor recognition awarded to high school students throughout the U.S. and foreign countries who have achieved outstanding quality journalism work in any high school medium. When a student becomes a member of the Society he or she is joining one and a half million Quill and Scroll alumni and members who have been honored with this special recognition. A number of those alumni have become outstanding professional journalists at various media outlets in the U.S. Quill and Scroll is honored to have been a part of providing scholarship support for high school students to pursue degrees in journalism at colleges and universities who offer journalism majors.
In addition, the annual Yearbook Excellence Contest and the International Writing, Photo and Multimedia Contest offer the opportunity for students to be recognized and rewarded for outstanding journalistic work.
Why do you believe in the mission of Quill and Scroll?
I believe in the mission of Quill and Scroll because students involved in scholastic journalism whatever the medium deserve to be honored and recognized for their achievements. Quill and Scroll’s focus is to the individual staff member who embraces the ideals of journalistic practice as well as the rights and responsibilities endowed them by the U.S. Constitution.
Do you have any favorite memories or moments from your involvement in Quill and
Scroll?
Wow!!!! When I think back over the 40 years that I was involved as assistant director and then the executive director there is so much that I am grateful and thankful to have experienced. I could create an extensive list of names of high school journalism advisers who I had the pleasure of teaching or working alongside of them in national journalism conferences, state or regional conventions and summer workshops and those were very special memories.
One very special memory for me was the opportunity to travel to Budapest, Hungary, and induct into Quill and Scroll a group of 12 high school students who were meeting at the Center for Independent Journalism and producing a newspaper. Following that special induction my wife and I left the Center to walk down the street to a restaurant for dinner, and we witnessed and experienced a torch light procession of hundreds supporting Freedom of the Press. What a memorable impact that had on us.
I also appreciated working with the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, the American Society of Newspaper Editors, the Dow Jones Newspaper Fund, Inc., the Journalism Education Association, the National Council of Teachers of English, the National Association of Secondary School Principals as well as Quill and Scroll Society as we worked together to produce an updated version of the Principal’s Guide to Scholastic Journalism that was mailed to every high school principal in the country when it was revised and printed. Working with the Student Press Law Center in Washington, D.C. and serving on its Advisory Board was an honor. Quill and Scroll Society was instrumental in helping make the first issue of The Law of the Student Press book a reality and I was grateful to be a part of that initiative.
How has the organization changed in the time you’ve known about it? Did any major changes happen while you were in charge?
When I began as executive director of Quill and Scroll the focus of the organization was newspaper journalism. In the following years we took action to add emphasis on yearbook journalism and the student achievement in that medium and the organization was grateful for the partnership with the yearbook publishing companies for their support and sponsorship of the Yearbook Excellence Contest each year. Over the years as technology changed and impacted scholastic journalism so did Quill and Scroll Society must adapt and change with the addition of online publications, web casts, pod casts and whatever other forms of student media developed it was important to expand contest categories to provide recognition and reward in those areas as well.
The Society added another form of recognition and honor for students with the offering of graduation honor cords to be worn at graduation. The organization also adapted the membership ordering process to include use of credit cards as well as making the process more easily accessible for advisers.
Were you ever inducted (or did you ever induct students) into Quill and Scroll?
I was never inducted however, at the three high schools in Indiana where I had the opportunity to teach and advise student publications, I inducted students. At Highland High School, Highland, Indiana, where I last taught before moving to the University of Iowa, we had an annual Quill and Scroll banquet and formal candlelight induction ceremony.
What would you say to someone considering being inducted into Quill and Scroll?
The opportunity to be inducted into Quill and Scroll is a very special recognition of your achievements in scholastic journalism and you are being honored with that special membership that has also been bestowed on one and a half million student journalists who haveexperienced that joy and reward before you and provide you with a network of contacts and resources.
What else is on your mind as Quill & Scroll celebrates 100 years?
I am deeply honored and grateful to have had the opportunity to serve as the assistant director and executive director of an international honor society founded by Dr. George H. Gallup and it would take many more pages to list all the special friends and journalism advisers that I had the opportunity to be associated with. Scholastic journalism is vitally important because it is important that students learn and experience to be active participants in the democratic process and to protect and insure the existence of freedom of the press in our country.
Vanessa Shelton | 2007 – 2017
Executive director from 2007 to 2017
How did you first get involved with Quill & Scroll?
I was first acquainted with Quill and Scroll as a high school student in St. Louis, where I attended Beaumont High School, which had a charter, an active chapter and inducted student chapter members. I was aware of the organization, but was not a member, however, as my participation on the school newspaper was brief.
To you, what is the heart of Quill & Scroll? What makes the organization special?
Quill and Scroll’s international reach is one of its areas of distinction that immediately comes to mind. The journalistic principles and standards of excellence required of Quill and Scroll members are promoted globally along with the encouragement of academic achievement. I also like the service requirements and encouragement for chapters and members. It was fun to see some of the enterprising projects chapters conducted.
Why do you believe in the mission of Quill & Scroll?
These aspects add a special level to participation, the honor of being inducted. Students who are members have achieved a greater level of journalistic accomplishments as well as are high academic achievers. These are commendable achievements that also add to their personal, school and community pride. The accomplishments also serve them well as they progress from high school to college and other post-secondary endeavors.
Do you have any favorite memories or moments from your involvement in Quill & Scroll?
I had many wonderful moments while involved with Quill and Scroll. Most of them involved occasions when I interacted with the chapters – students and teachers. In one instance, a couple of chapters in Indianapolis were reactivated after a few years of being dormant. They were inner-city chapters that had long standing charters, with large minority student populations. As I recall the teachers were former journalists and had involved the city newspaper and television stations to support the student media through mentorships and instructional assistance. I was invited to attend the induction ceremony, which was held for the reactivated schools, seems there were about 3, at the Indiana University-Purdue University campus in the city. I assisted with the induction ceremony, handing out pins and shaking the students’ hands, offering my congratulations. It was the first time I traveled out of state to do this and it made me want to do more outreach. I regularly participated in induction ceremonies locally at Iowa City High School and Davenport Central, but occasionally I also did so in other cities in Iowa such as Des Moines and Cedar Rapids.
How has the organization changed in the time you’ve known about it? Did any major changes happen while you were in charge?
We had significant developments during my tenure as executive director, from adaptions to the digitization of media content to facility changes when a major flood impacted the University of Iowa campus and we had to evacuate our building and consequently operate from a temporary office up the hill from our regular office, which was located in the Adler Journalism Building. It had water in the basement and surrounding the building from the nearby Iowa River. That lasted several weeks. Related to the technology changes, we embarked on several projects involving the utilization of more technology in our administrative operations, including using credit card payments, electronic membership and contest registrations, digitizing evaluations and contest judging tools, and enhancing social media communications. We increased website communications while transitioning from paper magazine editions. At the same time, we revised media evaluation and contest services for our constituents’ media programs to reflect the media production developments in schools, such as blogs, multimedia content and websites, as well as to enhance the learning experience of students.
What would you say to someone considering being inducted into Quill & Scroll?
I would encourage students considering membership to do so and to get involved in the chapter, especially in service projects, for the personal development and leadership opportunities this participation offers as well as the contributions it makes to their fellow media staff members, the chapter, school and community.
What else is on your mind as Quill & Scroll celebrates 100 years?
Quill and Scroll has a long, storied history that is not self-evident. It started with the journalistic commitment of George Gallup to reach out and engage high school journalism teachers in the endeavor to develop the academic and journalistic abilities of students, all while he was at the University of Iowa on his journey of working on his college education and teaching. Along the way he also was developing the Gallup Poll, for which he is renowned. Gallup’s legacy continues with Quill and Scroll at 100 years old and the poll, as well as other contributions. The recipe for Quill and Scroll membership has helped bake many citizens worldwide who have also made significant contributions to societies internationally, in many areas of expertise including journalism, but also politics, business and medicine and others. At one point, we were tracking alumni and had begun developing a LinkedIn group and Facebook group for alumni to institutionalize the data. These efforts grew out of the office receiving communication from alums or we had observed some high profile people were alums. Perhaps you have experienced this as well.
Jeff Browne | 2017 – 2022
Executive director from 2017 through 2022.
To you, what is the heart of Quill and Scroll? What makes the organization special?
Judy Hauge was the absolute heart of the Quill and Scroll office. Her calm and kind demeanor working with student assistants, advisers from around the world, and members created a welcoming environment for all. Beyond Judy’s stewardship of the office, former executive directors, specifically Dick Johns and Vanessa Shelton provided encouragement and counsel during the difficult times brought on by the COVID pandemic, which eventually led to our merger with the National Scholastic Press Association in 2022.
Why do you believe in the mission of Quill and Scroll?
As a former high school adviser myself, I understand that student-journalists and their hard-working advisers don’t usually get the recognition they deserve, so leading an organization that provides recognition for students is a valuable part of the scholastic media universe. Further, membership in Quill and Scroll is a lifelong bond for many of its members.
Do you have any favorite memories or moments from your involvement in Quill and Scroll?
My favorite memories involve working with international schools and organizations in Pakistan, Guatemala and South Korea. As Judy and I worked to establish a more sustainable future for the organization, it was rewarding to see the enthusiasm around the world for Quill and Scroll. I conducted induction ceremonies via Zoom for several chapters during and after the COVID pandemic. I will always remember those.
How has the organization changed in the time you’ve known about it? Did any major changes happen while you were in charge?
In March 2020, when most of the world’s schools shut down, Quill and Scroll was faced with an existential crisis. We made nearly three-quarters of our revenue in the final quarter of every fiscal year — April through June. The organization had begun to pick up more memberships in 2018 and 2019 than the previous years, so we were confident we’d continue that trend until the COVID crisis hit. Judy Hauge nearly single-handedly kept us afloat by handling all orders, and we both worked to remind schools that we could still honor their students even if their school was shut down. Unfortunately, we dropped from more than 6,500 new members in 2019 to about 4,000 in 2020, entirely because of the pandemic. Because we were already operating on a shoestring budget, I was forced to find ways for Quill and Scroll to continue its operations, fully funded. We made overtures to our former hosts at the University of Iowa’s School of Journalism, but the board wasn’t able to work out a deal there, mostly because the university was also unclear about how it would navigate the post-COVID world and deal with the economic fallout. Thank goodness Laura, Gary and the rest of the crew at NSPA were willing to take on the challenge of keeping Quill and Scroll afloat. And now that Lori Keekley is in charge, I’ve never felt more confident about the organization’s future.
Were you ever inducted (or did you ever induct students) into Quill and Scroll?
I was inducted in 1980 as a student at East High School in Lincoln, Nebraska.
What would you say to someone considering being inducted into Quill and Scroll?
Please. If you’ve earned it, you deserve the recognition.
Quill & Scroll today
Even after 100 years, Quill & Scroll’s goal still remains the same: support and recognize the hard work of scholastic journalists around the world. The Society does this in a number of ways, including hosting several annual contests that recognize some of the best scholastic journalism out there. These contests include the Writing, Visual, Multimedia contest and the Private School Journalism Association contest. The results of both of these will be released next week.
Quill & Scroll also hosts the Yearbook Excellence Contest, with a fall deadline, and offers the News Media Evaluation service, with a summer deadline.
The Society also aims to support advisers and journalism teachers. Two years ago, Quill & Scroll launched the adviser-only area for schools with recent student inductees that features bell ringers, lesson plans and exemplars to use in the classroom.
Be part of history
As the end of the school year inches ever closer, take some time to induct students to Quill and Scroll in the organization’s 100th year. Whether your chapter is super active or you are interested in restarting it, now is a great time to plan an induction.
