Dave Lawrence Jr. inducted to Florida Journalism Hall of Fame

Dave Lawrence Jr., former publisher of The Miami Herald and a leading Florida advocate for early childhood initiatives, has been honored as  the 39th member of the Florida Journalism Hall of Fame.

The Hall of Fame was created in 1989 to support and encourage journalism in Florida and to honor those men and women who have made significant contributions to this great industry.  Members’ years of service extend from 1888. He was inducted into the hall June 18 at the 2010 FSNE-FPA convention in Sarasota.

Lawrence worked for seven newspapers, including The Herald, the St. Petersburg Times and The Palm Beach Post as a reporter, editor and publisher. He was editor and then publisher of The Detroit Free Press before being named Miami Herald publisher in 1989.

In Miami, he not only led The Herald to excellence but took up the cause of journalists in Latin America, thousands of whom were harrassed, hundreds of them murdered.

Since his retirement in 1999, he has been a tireless advocate for children, helping the create The Children’s Trust in Miami-Dade County and The Early Childhood Initiative Foundation at The University of Florida.

Dave Lawrence Sr. also is in the Hall of Fame, something Lawrence Jr. said was a source of great pride during the ceremony.

Here is video of the induction, and Lawrence’s moving speech.