LSC alumnus Dennis Dimick (MS ’74) will be honored by the National Press Photographers Association(NPPA) with a Joseph A. Sprague Memorial Award this March.
Dimick is Executive Editor at National Geographic Magazine, where he leads environmental coverage. He joined the magazine in 1980 after working in the Pacific Northwest as a photojournalist, picture editor and reporter. He is joined in receiving the Sprague Award by Charles W. Harrity, who is retired from U.S. News & World Report.
Among his numerous accomplishments, in 2010 Dimick spearheaded the development of a single-topic National Geographic issue on freshwater, directed the series “7 Billion” on global population in 2011 and a three-part project on climate change in 2004 entitled “Global Warming: Bulletins from a Warmer World.”
Dimick received a master’s in agricultural journalism from the department in 1974 and an agricultural degree from the Oregon State University. In 2011, he received a Distinguished Alumnus Award from the Wisconsin Alumni Association (WAA). He fondly recalled his time in Madison and the Department of Agricultural Journalism (now LSC) when accepting the award:
“I have always kept close at heart my time here as a Badger. I daily call upon the lessons of self-reliance I learned here: The future is whatever you make of it, either you make change or change is done to you. To make change, dream up an idea, set a goal, craft a path, get to work, and above all, persevere and be patient. In late 2008 I was able to publish a story in National Geographic on soil conservation after nine years of work. Building good soil and stories about it takes time, and requires patience.” Read more about Dimick’s experiences at UW-Madison here.
LSC Professor and Chair Larry Meiller commended Dimick on the honor, “Dennis is the kind of person who typifies so many others who have come through our program. He’s funny, thoughtful, and sincere; and he wants to make a difference in the world. He’s certainly accomplished that through his work at National Geographic and he richly deserved to be recognized by the NPPA.”
Dimick will receive the Sprague Award at a reception during the NPPA’s Northern Short Course on March 9, 2013, at the Renaissance Newark Airport Hotel in Elizabeth, New Jersey.
You can view some of Dimick’s photographs on Flickr here and follow him on Twitter at @ddimick.
Congratulations Dennis from all of us in LSC!