The Gold Circle and the Silver Circle is an elite group of professionals recognized by the NATAS Mid-America Chapter for making a significant contribution to television for the last 25 years or more. We invite you to nominate candidates from the Mid-America regionl who meet the requirements. Details and application below.

Mid-America proudly inducted the first Gold Circle recipient, Dick Ford (KTVI), in 2006. The prestigious Gold Circle is comprised of individuals across the country who have contributed 50 years or more of service to the industry.

Who is eligible for Gold or Silver Circle?
Anyone who has made a significant contribution to television is eligible. The contribution can be in service to the industry, to NATAS, to the community or to people training for a career in the field.  Nominees are accepted from performing, creative, technical or administrative roles within the industry or peripheral areas directly related to television such as commercial productions, journalism or education. Neither nominators nor nominees need to be members of NATAS.

Application Process:
To submit a name for consideration, complete and submit this form with your nomination letter, and two letters of recommendation to the Mid-America NATAS office by April 30, 2012.   
NOTE:  The nomination letter, and all supporting materials,  should detail the nominee's contributions to television and community involvement.  There is a good chance the selection committee is not familiar with the nominee. Your package will tell the committee why this nominee should be selected.

Please send nomination packages to:
NATAS – Mid- America
3655 Olive Street, St. Louis, MO  63108

The 2011 Gold and Silver Circle Inductees:

Gold Circle:
Professor Rod Gelatt
Columbia MO

Mid-Missouri audiences grew up knowing Rod Gelatt’s velvet voice and trusted news broadcasts as an anchorman on KOMU-TV (Channel 8) and KBIA Radio in Columbia, MO. He began his distinguished career in Iowa when radio was “king.”  Gelatt shared in the debut of television news at WHO-AM in Des Moines when the station expanded to provide both radio and television newscasts in 1953.

In 1963 the University of Missouri lured him to teach, anchor the news and be news director at KOMU-TV, the only commercial licensed television station owned by a university.  He guided the station through major technical changes beginning with the switch from black and white to color broadcasting.

Rod Gelatt has won several awards for his more than 45 years of distinguished service with the Missouri School of Journalism. He was director of news or public affairs for 22 years; first for the School's NBC affiliate, KOMU-TV, and later for its public radio station, KBIA-FM. From 1980 to 1993, Gelatt produced and moderated KOMU's Missouri Forum public affairs program, and from 1986 to 1992 he chaired the Broadcast News department.

During those years he also coordinated annual judging for the Radio-Televisions News Directors Association's Edward R. Murrow Awards and served as the school's liaison to the committee created by the Missouri Supreme Court to draft guidelines for bringing cameras and microphones into Missouri courtrooms. In 1998 he initiated the Missouri London Program, the J-School's most popular study abroad experience. In 1994, he created Views of the News, a weekly media-critique program on KBIA that he also hosted for 14 years. Gelatt served as president of the MU Retirees Association from 2006 to 2007 and received the Chancellor's Faculty Retiree of the Year Award in 2008. He received the Mizzou Alumni Association's Faculty-Alumni Award in 1987, and received the School's Missouri Honor Medal in 2009.

Silver Circle:
Jack Harry
Kansas City MO

A legend in Kansas City,  sportscaster Jack Harry has been covering sports in the area for over 40 years.  He has served as Sports Director at three television stations in Kansas City: WDAF-TV, KCTV-TV and KSHB-TV, his current employer.  He can also be heard on Sports Radio 810 as a commentator and host of the Kansas City Chiefs postgame show.

Jack Harry worked closely with Tom Watson to promote the success of the Children’s Mercy Hospital Golf Classic for more than twenty years, a tournament that raised more than $6,000,000 to help sick children all over the country.

Over the course of his career, Harry has been play-by-play announcer for a number of athletic events, hosted various sports shows, served as a sporting analyst, and covered numerous World Series games, Final Four tournaments, and PGA Tournaments. Long time Chiefs fans will remember Harry as host of the Hank Stram Show, and subsequently the Marv Levy Show.

Jack has been recognized for his decades of covering sports, being named the Joe McGuff Journalist of the Year and received the 2009 Diversity Advocate in Sports from the Olathe chapter of the NAACP.

Silver Circle:
Dave Shaul
Champaign IL

Dave Shaul has been called a TV newsman’s newsman. An integral part of his community as a professional broadcaster and citizen for more than five decades, Dave personifies what local television news can be.

He began his career at WCIA, Champaign IL, 36 years ago, where he served as a news anchor,  producer and news director of downstate Illinois’ largest broadcast news department.

Dave was instrumental in opening bureaus in Springfield and in Decatur, a strategic coverage area for WCIA. He oversaw the transition from film to video to satellite feeds. He brought in the newsroom’s first computers and weather graphics systems. For many Dave is the mentor who changed their professional life and made them better broadcast journalists and people. He oversaw literally hundreds of news and sport interns from colleges and high schools across the state.  Dana Perino would go on to become the White House Press Secretary to President George W Bush.

In 1999, Dave was honored with the Associated Press Mark Twain Lifetime Achievement Award, was named to the Eastern Illinois University Hall of Fame and was designated a lifetime member of the Illinois News Broadcasters Association. A lifelong Illini fan, Dave won the UPI Best Television Sports Play-by-Play Award for his coverage of Illinois basketball.

2011 Release

2010 Release

2009 Press Release

2008 Release

2007 Release

2006 Release

 

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Silver Circle Members

• Wilber Allmeyer  (1997)  
• John Auble   ( 2002)  
• Wendall Anschutz (2010)
• Bob Bell   (2001)  
• Jennifer Blome   (2006)
• Charles Bohn   (1996)                 
• Marty Bronson    (1997)
• Betsy Bruce    ( 2001)
• Christine Buck    ( 2007)
• Don Burnes    (1997)
• Paul Campbell    (2001)
• Mary Cannon  (2002)
• Lee Cavanagh   (1996)
• Allan Cohen  (2006)
• Larry Conners (2008)
• Dottye Bennett David (1996)
• Irv Davis (2004)
• Howard DeMere (1997)
• Bonnie Dewes (1996)
• Randall Dixon (2009)
• Martin Duggan (2010)
• Robert "Mike" Dorman (2007)
• Edward Fergus (1999)
• Dick Ford (1999)
• Joey Ford ( 2001)
• Karen Foss ( 2005)
• Joe Garagiola (1996)
• Harry Gibbs (1997)
• Charles Guggenheim ( 2001)
• Keith Gunther (1996)
• Michael Hardgrove (2002)
• Jack Harry (2011)
• Bruce Hayward  (1996)
• Susan Heinket Bayer ( 2001)
• Dan Henry (2010)
• Art Holliday  (2006)
• Bob Hooss   (1997)
• Fran Hunt   (1999)
• Julius Hunter   (1997)
• Stan Kann  (1997)
• Dean Keune (1996)
• Spencer Koch (2008)
• Thom Lewis (1996)
• Michael Mahoney (2010)
• Jim Marlowe  (1996)
• Don Marsh   (1996)
• Tom Martin   (2005)
• Kathi McDonald   (2001)
• Cheryl K. McDonald  (2005)
• Mike McDonald (2010)
• Larry Moore   (2007)
• Michael Murray (2009)
• Msgr. Joe O’Brien  (1999)
• Tom O'Neal (2009)
• Dick Preston  (2004)
• Barbara Regnell   (1999)
• Bill Reed   (2005)
• Dr. John Rider  (1996)
• Dennis Riggs  (2005)
• Cliff St. James (1999)
• Nancy St. James   (1999)
• Sid Savan   (1999)
• Suzi Schrappen (2010)
• Dave Shaul (2011)
• Cynthia Smith   (2007)
• Robin Smith,   (2002)
• Sharon Stevens (2009)
• Leo Tevlin  (1997)
• Mike Thompson (2008)
• Ellen Wallach   (1997)
• Larry Ward    (1996)
• Andy Werner  (1997)
• Diane White  (1997)
• Al Wiman   (2002)
• Phil Witt   (2006)
• Stacey Woelfel    (2006)

Gold Circle Members:

• Walt Bodine  (2007)
• Dick Ford  (2006)
• Bob Garger  (2007)
• Ray Hoffstetter   (2007)
• Dale Nicholson (2008)
• BJ Sams (2008)
• Jim King (2010)
• Rod Gelatt (2011)