Missouri Press Association
Serving Missouri Newspapers Since 1867
The Missouri Newspaper Hall of Fame’s ranks will grow by four when the 35th class of honorees are inducted during Missouri Press Association’s 159th Annual Convention and Trade Show in Wildwood.
Inductees for 2025 are the late Kevin Jones, past MPA president and chief operating officer of the St. Louis American; Dennis Ellsworth, former MPA board member and executive editor of the St. Joseph News-Press; Barbara Ann Horton, staff writer for the Daily American Republic in Poplar Bluff; and Jerrilynn Voss, former owner and editor of The Unterrified Democrat in Linn.
The Missouri Newspaper Hall of Fame was established in 1991, and inductees or their families receive Pinnacle Awards in honor of the inductees’ service to the newspaper industry and their communities. Inductees’ plaques will join the permanent display of inductees in the MPA office in Columbia and in the student lounge in Lee Hills Hall at the Missouri School of Journalism.
Kevin Jones was a newspaperman in every sense of the word, embodying the very best traits of the profession. As a graduate of the Missouri School of Journalism, Jones had the experience and knowledge to fill any newspaper position, but he remained devoted to his career in advertising sales and relished helping to produce a newspaper widely considered one of the best in the country.
For more than 30 years, Jones worked for the St. Louis American, which covers the region’s African American community. During his career, the newspaper was repeatedly recognized for its work at the state and national levels, and Jones’ voice was one of the loudest to sing the praises of his colleagues, whether it was a Gold Cup win from the Missouri Press Foundation Better Newspaper Contest or Best Weekly Newspaper in North America from Suburban Newspapers of America.
Jones supported the people who make the newspaper possible, advocating for others to receive the accolades he knew they were deserving of and which helped the American succeed financially and editorially.
But Jones’ championing of others wasn’t limited to just the American, as he embraced opportunities to share his experience within the newspaper industry and in Missouri specifically. He spent many years as a director and past president for Missouri Press Advertising and Marketing Executives, which he pushed to rename from Missouri Advertising Managers Association so it would better reflect the changing industry.
A dedicated industry leader, Jones spent several years as a board member of the Missouri Press Association, culminating in his presidency in 2010. Believing he still had more to give back, Jones returned to the MPA Board as a director in 2019 after he completed his term on the Missouri Press Service board.
In always looking for ways to move his newspaper forward, Jones built a legacy on the relationships he forged through building the Missouri newspaper industry up. Jones died in January 2024 at the age of 57.
With more than 40 years working for newspapers, Dennis Ellsworth’s career is a testament to not only his dedication to journalism but also a commitment to community and as a leader in the industry. A native of eastern Kansas, he earned his journalism degree from the University of Kansas and had early work experiences with newspapers in Parsons, Osawatomie and Lawrence and with The Associated Press in Topeka.
Before joining the St. Joseph News-Press as executive editor in 2000, Ellsworth spent 21 years working as an editor and assistant editor — first at the Tallahassee (Fla.) Democrat, then for eight years at the Wichita (Kan.) Eagle-Beacon and 11 years at the San Angelo (Texas) Standard-Times. At the News-Press, Ellsworth oversaw 45 employees and was instrumental in the company’s evolution into a converged media operation, as it integrated television stations with the newspaper in 2012.
Meanwhile, he took opportunities to mentor the next generation of journalists, helping to guide them while sharing his knowledge and passion for journalism. In addition to several years served on the MPA Board of Directors, he was chairman of the Missouri Associated Press Managing Editors and twice president of the Northwest Missouri Press Association. Earlier in his career he was a Knight Ridder Fellow in the Visiting Journalists Program at Duke University.
Even after retiring, Ellsworth remained committed to public service, volunteering as the first executive director of the Missouri Sunshine Coalition. His five years in the role allowed him to promote government transparency and freedom of information to Missourians in every part of the state. He also reinvigorated the Sunshine Heroes recognition program, working to acknowledge those individuals and groups who support the Missouri Sunshine Law and its role in keeping the state’s residents informed.
A true believer in local reporting, Ellsworth continues to advocate for the power of the newspaper to inform and entertain. This extends to the papers of eastern Jackson County, where he currently lives, and to the Miami County Republic, which covers his hometown of Osawatomie and still benefits from tips and story ideas as he comes across them.
Barbara Ann Horton has spent 54 years in the newspaper industry in Butler County, becoming in that time a fount of community knowledge and a touchpoint connecting the traditions of the local newspaper and the new methods for reporting that reflect readers’ changing habits.
Horton started as a staff writer with the Daily American Republic (DAR) in Poplar Bluff in the early 1970s, working for three owners of the newspaper in that time and holding a variety of leadership roles, including lifestyles editor in the 1980s and a news editor for more than 20 years starting in the 1990s. She has also helped to lead the DAR’s sister publications, The Prospect-News and Puxico News, during her career.
Known for her work ethic, dedication to objective journalism and adaptability in a changing media landscape, Horton is seen by both readers and colleagues as insightful, kind and honorable. The region has also benefited from Horton’s lengthy career by mentoring and inspiring up-and-coming journalists working at the DAR.
Beyond the professional praise, she has demonstrated a selfless commitment to her community by serving as a councilwoman for a historically underserved ward in Poplar Bluff. Her volunteer efforts within the community include serving on the board of a local domestic violence shelter and another group that focuses on improving the lives of children in the region and strengthening medical services available in rural areas.
At an age when other journalists might be slowing down or limiting their reporting to a single medium, Horton continues to be at the forefront of coverage in her community, all while participating in the newspaper’s expanding digital presence and on social media. Already this year her work has included covering breaking fire stories, helping the community respond to a March tornado that caused severe damage and then joining the newsroom for a marathon reporting session in the aftermath of that tornado.
Jerrilynn Voss was the face of reporting in Osage County for many years, first with the Osage County Observer and then, beginning in 1980, as co-owner with husband Ralph of The Unterrified Democrat in Linn.
While owner of the newspaper, Voss wrote stories, a role she didn’t necessarily enjoy but one she embraced as a representative of the citizens who lived in her coverage area. She was seen as a tough reporter and had loads of knowledge about how county government works, making her unafraid to ask questions about the questionable.
Not only did Voss write for the newspaper, she sold advertising, ran the front desk, answered customers’ questions, kept the books, and helped clients who came in to place ads, pay their bill or renew subscriptions.
Voss’ influence in the community was more than just the newspaper’s reporting, as she engaged with and built relationships throughout the community, connecting with readers and fostering an informed, engaged citizenry. She worked tirelessly to ensure readers had an accurate understanding of the issues facing the community, seeking transparency and open dialogue with leaders and policy makers.
Embodying the heart and soul of local journalism, Voss made sure the Unterrified Democrat’s reporting reflected the values of truth and fairness, while showing the newspaper’s unwavering dedication to the public good.
Known for being forthright in her opinions, Voss advocated for things she believed would benefit Osage County economically, socially and civically. A testament to her integrity, Voss also donates to the causes she supports and is willing to listen to both sides of an issue to find the best, workable solution for problems.
In 2018, the Unterrified Democrat was sold by Jerry and Ralph Voss to Warden Publishing. Her dedication to the newspaper continued for another two years as she stayed on to help the new owners get acclimated to the community.
