SABEW to honor Morrow

The Society of American Business Editors and Writers, in cooperation with the family of the late David J. Morrow, will create a memorial fund in his name that will aid students and honor superior business journalism, society officials announced Thursday.

Morrow, a SABEW board member, pioneer editor of TheStreet.com and the first Donald W. Reynolds Endowed Chair in Business Journalism at the University of Nevada, Reno, died Monday night at 49 after a brief battle with cancer.

Contributions to the fund, called the Dave Morrow Prize for Audacious and Talented Financial Journalists, were kicked off Thursday with a $50,000 contribution from Jim Cramer, co-founder and chairman of TheStreet.com and host of CNBC’s “Mad Money.”

SABEW will be the fund’s host. Donations in the form of checks should be made payable to the Dave Morrow Prize and sent to SABEW, University of Missouri – Columbia, School of Journalism, 134 Neff Annex, Columbia MO, 65211-1200. Make credit card donations by calling SABEW’s Vicki Edwards, (573) 882-2878.  SABEW is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization, and donations will be tax deductible. SABEW’s tax identification number is 36-3297751.

Morrow’s successor as TheStreet.com editor-in-chief, Glenn Hall, said Thursday that Morrow’s family has requested that money be used for both college tuition for promising students aspiring to careers in financial journalism as well as for students or young journalists seeking to attend SABEW’s annual conference.

The editor-in-chief of TheStreet.com from 2001 to 2009, Morrow’s term on the SABEW board of directors was to expire in the spring of 2011. His unexpired term is to be filled as part of a regular election of board members to be held at the society’s 47th Annual Conference March 19-21 in Phoenix.

Morrow’s business journalism career also included stops at the New York Times, Smart Money and Fortune magazines and the Detroit Free Press.

“Morrow had a positive effect on so many people in business journalism,” said Warren Watson, SABEW’s executive director, in a statement. “We feel that the Dave Morrow Prize encompasses a variety of things that he cared about.”

Services for Morrow are pending, but condolences can be sent to one of his sisters, Beth Hammond, at 305 Lake Road, Inman SC, 29349.