» Greene and Arizona Project members accept The Sigma Delta Chi Award

Bob Greene, a founder of IRE and a trail-blazing investigative journalist, died on Thursday, April 10. He was one of the most influential and important people in the history of our organization. Click here to read tributes or share your own memories.

Please support the Bob Greene Fund

Bob Greene inspired and guided countless young journalists over the years. Many of those journalists were at IRE conferences and seminars where they not only heard Bob speak, but where Bob talked with them one-on-one about their stories and careers.

Last year former executive director Brant Houston spoke with Bob about creating a fund at IRE in Bob's name. As a result of their discussion, Brant received Bob's approval to raise money for a fund for young journalists.

As Houston said in an e-mail to the board recently, "As we all know, it is highly, highly doubtful IRE would be here today without Bob's leadership and inspiration and fundraising. It is impossible to count how many journalists he has helped and guided. Without Bob, there would have been no Arizona Project or any subsequent similar projects by others."

The fund is called the Robert W. Greene Fellowship Fund for Young Journalists. It will support full-time students studying journalism and professionals under the age of 30 who need assistance to attend IRE conferences, seminars and other training. Fellows will receive an IRE membership and have travel, lodging and registration fees covered. The fellows also will get the opportunity to meet with veteran journalists who will take the time to work with them individually - just as Bob had.

We ask that you donate now to the fund so that we can announce the creation of fellowships at the IRE conference in Miami on June 7. Our goal is to raise $100,000 in donations and pledges by then.

We have a unique opportunity to reach the goal because of a matching program from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. For any donations or firm pledges received by Sept. 30 of this year, Knight will match every dollar with 50 cents. If you were to pledge $1,000, the Knight Foundation would match your pledge with $500. Your pledge would have to be fulfilled by Dec. 31, 2010, to qualify for the match.

Bob played an immeasurable and invaluable role in creating IRE and its reputation as a stellar professional organization that nurtured and brought along young journalists. We feel we can honor him in no better way than keeping that tradition going through this fund in his name. The fund will use only investment income so it will continue in perpetuity.

Please support Bob's legacy by donating to the fund. You may donate with a credit card online at http://www.ire.org/bobgreenefund.html (Please type "Bob Greene Fund" in the "general notes" field.) Or you may send a check made out to "IRE" with "Bob Greene Fund" in the memo line to the following address:

Investigative Reporters and Editors
Attn: Heather Henry, Fiscal Officer
138 Neff Annex
Missouri School of Journalism
Columbia, MO 65211

If you have any questions about the fund, please contact IRE development officer Jennifer Erickson at (573) 884-2222 or jennifer@ire.org; IRE executive director Mark Horvit at (573) 882-1984 or mhorvit@ire.org; or Brant Houston at (217) 333-7554 or brant.houston@gmail.com.

Thanks for your support.

Sincerely,
Myrta Pulliam
Brant Houston
Penny Loeb
Jan Colbert
Rich Galant
Tom Maier
Rose Ciotta
John Ullmann

Desertrats
» An Arizona Project reunion at the 1987 IRE Conference.
Who were the desert rats?

A Tribute to Bob Greene

Please support the Bob Greene Fund