The man behind the Gerald Loeb Awards

David Saito-Chung of Investor’s Business Daily writes about Gerald Loeb, the Wall Street investor who started the Gerald Loeb Awards for business journalism.

Saito-Chung writes, “To further promote knowledge about business and the markets, Loeb launched an annual competition in 1957 to recognize excellence in financial journalism. He cared about the impact it could have to the public understanding of financial markets. The University of Connecticut acted as the initial steward of the awards. But in 1973, just a year before his death, Loeb decided to ask Harold Williams, a corporate lawyer who served as dean of UCLA’s business school at the time, to become the new home of the prizes.

“Williams, who went to serve as commissioner of the Securities & Exchange Commission, says Loeb was aware of his past speeches on the issues of corporate governance and the role of board directors. ‘He felt my views were hospitable,’ Williams told IBD.

“Next year, the Gerald Loeb Awards celebrates its 60th anniversary with an awards banquet slated for June 27, 2017. The nonprofit organization, which operates primarily on sponsorships and private support, will begin calls for entries in January.

“‘Quality journalism is essential for our students to get to know the challenges in global business and financial markets,’ Judy D. Olian, current dean of the UCLA Anderson School of Management, said. ‘It presents the ethical dilemmas new managers will face, and forces them to ask what type of managers they want to become.'”

Read more here.