The Washington Newspaper/Volume 6/Who's Who in Washington Journalism

Who's Who in Washington Journalism

Clarence Ellington, new president of The State Press Association, was born in Missouri in the year—well, you can guess. His father died when Mr. Ellington was eleven and his mother when he was thirteen, leaving him and his younger brother. After his mother's death, he went to southern California where he lived seven years until he came to Chehalis about twenty years' ago.

Mr. Ellington learned the printing trade in a small Missouri town, where he worked several months for $1.50 a month and later for $3 a month. He attended the district schools there and afterward, in southern California, continued his schooling, working vacations and odd times at the printing business and doing newspaper work. Soon after coming to the northwest, he man aged and edited The Winlock News for six months, later returning to Chehalis. At Chehalis he leased The Bee-Nugget for four or five years, after which he helped form an incorporated company and became manager, editor and part owner of the paper. For a year and a half he published The Chehalis Daily Nugget.

Community work has always been a chief interest of Mr. Ellington. At present he is chairman of the publicity bureau of The Chehalis Citizen's Club, the commercial organization of Chehalis, and a member of the board of directors. He is also interested in music as a hobby and has helped organize and maintain the Chehalis Choral society.

As to his newspaper work Mr. Ellington says: " I take a keen delight in the newspaper work and feel that its ideals should be second to no other calling. The newspaper, to my mind, is a semi -public institution, with a mission to perform, and should always hold before the public the fact that the true newspaper must be truthful, accurate, tolerant and actuated by the best motives humanly possible—always striving to make its niche in the world the best place in which to live, always trying to spread sunshine rather than clouds, always striving to be constructive rather than destructive, and always standing for what is highest and best in the home, the community, state, and nation.

The Bee-Nugget, under Mr. Ellington's direction, has grown from an eight-page newspaper to sixteen pages weekly.

In regard to his new office as president of the State Press, he says: "My ambition is to give the association the very best I have while I hold the office. I have never sought political perferment, and have no inclination to do so . I feel that to be president of an organization of newspapermen is of much more value to me than to be

handed a political office on a gold platter. I will greatly appreciate it if members of the press will communicate to me any ideas they may have at any time relative to the good of the organization. I feel that the district organization plan launched at the Yakima session is one of the biggest things the association has ever done, and am very optimistic as to what it will bring for the good of the members. I urge all members of the state press to give The Washington News paper their heartiest support and co operation, to attend the institute this winter and to make the next summer session the largest and most instructive in the history of the organization. United we can do it."