Stuttering Foundation Announces 2009 Journalism Award Winners

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (May 11, 2009) — The Stuttering Foundation has announced its 2009 Awards for Excellence in news reporting. The winning entries successfully enhanced public understanding of this complex speech disorder during the past year. "Journalists in a variety of media have done an outstanding job of focusing on the causes and treatment of stuttering over the past year," said Jane Fraser, president of the 62-year-old nonprofit foundation. "We were particularly pleased this year to see an increased focus on young people." Three distinguished journalists are honored for their outstanding contributions. They are:

Category: Daily Newspapers

First Place: Martha Phifer, The Orlando Sentinel, Orlando, Florida. “Take control of stuttering.” The English and Spanish articles give readers the tools needed to identify stuttering and offers useful advice on how to help children overcome stuttering. These articles provide different points of view on the problem, offer lots of resources for help, and reach a large Hispanic audience.

Second Place: Kit Bradshaw, Jupiter Courier, Stuart, Florida. “Kids who stutter don’t want to be defined by their speech,” a multimedia presentation, provides readers with positive and accurate information about stuttering through the viewpoint of two teens. Speech-language pathologist Liz Blake shares accurate information with viewers.

Third Place: Jill Moon, The Telegraph, Alton, Illinois. “Don’t stifle stutterers.” Moon focused on help for classroom teachers with students who stutter including resources at the local library.

Category: Television

Honorary First Place: Producer Diana Montano and Telemundo TV for their timely segment on stuttering, targeting Spanish-speaking parents with help nationwide. This excellent segment featured speech-language pathologist Lisette Betancourt of Miami Children’s Hospital.

The awards are being announced today, the first day of National Stuttering Awareness Week, May 11-17. San Diego Charger Darren Sproles leads this year’s awareness campaign. Among other famous people who stutter are VP Joe Biden, actor James Earl Jones, 20/20’s John Stossel, and basketball star Kenyon Martin. A complete list of famous people who stutter can be found at/.

The Stuttering Foundation is a nonprofit organization based in Memphis, Tenn., that has worked toward the prevention and improved treatment of stuttering since 1947. For more information, call toll-free 800?992?9392 or visit www.stutteringhelp.org.

More than 3 million Americans stutter. For myths about stuttering, click here

CELEBRITY FOCUS

Carly Simon

Carly Simon began stuttering severely when she was eight years old.

Bill Withers

While Bill Withers has long been on the Stuttering Foundation's list of Famous People Who Stutter, many people probably didn’t realize he stuttered. He passed away on March 30, 2020.

Born in 1938 in Slab Fork, W.V., Withers was the youngest of six children. When his father died when Withers was small, he was raised by his mother and grandmother, both of whom worked as domestics.

Mel Tillis

Mel Tillis, born Lonnie Melvin Tillis, was an influential figure in country music, both as a songwriter and a performer. His journey to fame was marked by overcoming personal challenges, including a stutter that he turned into a defining part of his public persona.

Darren Sproles

Darren Sproles, a former player for The Philadelphia Eagles, the New Orleans Saints and the San Diego Chargers, made history in 2007 when he became the first player in NFL history to return a kickoff and a punt for his first two NFL touchdowns in the same game. In 2021, he was selected to be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.

King George

In November 2010, worldwide movie audiences were presented with a most interesting and unusual movie release with The King’s Speech, starring Colin Firth as King George VI and Helena Bonham Carter as his wife Elizabeth.

Unfortunately, history may have forgotten the courageous and inspiring story of Prince Albert who stuttered badly and never dreamed that he would ever be king when his older brother, King Edward VIII, abruptly abdicated the throne in 1936 to marry Wallis Simpson, an American divorcee.