On July 29, Jerry Ceppos passed away at his home in Baton Rouge, Louisiana at the age of 75 after battling sepsis. Readers of Pen World knew Jerry as a regular contributor to this magazine, but Jerry’s work with Pen World was only the final chapter of a storied career in journalism. Jerome Merle Ceppos was born in Washington, D.C. on October 14, 1946 and grew up in Silver Spring, Maryland. His mother was a homemaker and later a real estate agent, and his father owned a Jewish delicatessen and possessed a bachelor’s degree in journalism. His uncle, Sidney Epstein, was a respected journalist, editor, and publisher. Jerry edited his Northwood High School newspaper and attended the University of Maryland, where he was also the newspaper editor and received a bachelor’s degree in journalism in 1969.
Jerry spent much of his career as an editor at Knight Ridder, then the second-largest newspaper chain in the United States. He went on to become an editor at the Miami Herald and then joined the staff of the San Jose Mercury News in joined the staff of the San Jose Mercury News in 1981, acting as its executive editor from 1995 to 1999. Fellow journalists credit Jerry with turning the Mercury News into one of the top 10 newspapers in the country. In 1999 he moved to Knight Ridder's corporate staff as Vice President for News and served in that capacity until he left the company in 2005.
Jerry then turned to teaching, serving as dean of the Reynolds School of Journalism at the University of Nevada in Reno. From 2011 to 2018, he was dean of the Manship School of Mass Communication at Louisiana State University, where he continued to teach in an emeritus status.
This story is from the October 2022 edition of PEN WORLD.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the October 2022 edition of PEN WORLD.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Lead, Follow, or Get Out of the Way: An Overview of Dip-less Desk Sets, Part III
Once dip-less desk sets became entrenched in the business world, they naturally proliferated as more companies got into the game.
The Inkwell and the Imagination
A history of the inkwell as a source of inspiration.
From EDC to OMG!
The Visconti Year of the Dragon limited edition collection pays tribute to the Chinese five-clawed dragon, which was reserved solely as representative of the Emperor and nobility.
Love Story
AP Limited Editions celebrates its 10th anniversary with pens in honor of its deep U.S. connection. Originally published in Vol. 29, No. 2 (February 2016).
The Magic Kingdom at Orlando's Sam Flax
In central Florida, a writing instruments and art supplies store carries on the Flax pen shop legacy.
Piloting My Way To Dromgoole's
Rice Village in Houston, Texas, is always buzzing with holiday shoppers in the weeks leading up to Christmas, so it was no surprise to me that not a single parking spot was available in front of family-owned Dromgoole's Fine Writing Instruments and Stationery store for its holiday shopping event on December 9, 2023.
The Ohio Pen Show
Begun more than 25 years ago, the Columbus, Ohio, Pen Show is one of the most respected among all North American pen shows.
These Snakes Don't Bite
The new BENU Viper Collection finds inspiration in the sinuous bodies of three snakes.
A Fountain Pen Scribe's Ode to a Typewriter
I stood there, just 15, clutching a $30 check from a magazine for something I'd written, the first ever for my writing, growing dizzy with images in my head of where I needed to be.
Introducing LeatherLuxePH
Raymund Nino Bumatay creates high-end leather pen cases with Filipino pride.