Milwaukee Press Club: New scholarship created to honor Wisconsin journalist Meg Jones, online auction with Brewers, Bucks memorabilia announced

Meg Jones was Wisconsin’s storyteller. She took readers from water-soaked cranberry farms to dusty roads in Afghanistan, from the stables of the State Fair to the star-filled cosmos.
 
Now, her legacy will continue with the Meg Jones Scholarship Fund.
 
The Milwaukee Newspaper Guild, Milwaukee Press Club Endowment and Milwaukee Press Club are proud to join with many others in launching this scholarship on Veteran’s Day, in honor of Jones’ tireless reporting on Wisconsin’s military members and veterans.
 
“It is fitting that Meg, who taught this state so much about itself, will continue to educate Wisconsin as part of her legacy,” said Devi Shastri, Milwaukee Newspaper Guild president.
 
“Even more so, we are humbled to be able to honor her on Veteran’s Day, as a tribute to her bravery and dedication to telling the stories of Wisconsin’s men and women who served,” she said. “Meg was a beloved member of the Milwaukee Newspaper Guild and we are proud to support the next generation of journalists in her name.”
 
The scholarship committee has set an ambitious goal of raising $50,000 to create a scholarship for University of Wisconsin-Madison journalism students from Wisconsin. The fund already has raised nearly $20,000, thanks in large part to its leadership sponsors, the Milwaukee Newspaper Guild and the Gannett Foundation.
 
The committee has planned an online auction fundraiser. Bid on a basketball autographed by Milwaukee Bucks superstar Kris Middleton, baseballs signed by Milwaukee Brewers closer Josh Hader and pitcher Brandon Woodruff, framed iconic photos from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, historic front pages and more! The auction will begin Nov. 15 and run for several weeks afterward. All bidding will take place on the scholarship’s Facebook page, www.facebook.com/megjonesfund.
 
Jones, a Wisconsin native, earned degrees in journalism and history from UW-Madison where she immersed herself in campus life, rowing with the crew team and playing drums in the marching band.
 
During her career, she was known for bringing care and curiosity to every assignment. She spent two decades reporting for the Milwaukee Sentinel and then the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Jones died last December from complications of pancreatic cancer. She was 58.
 
The scholarship is administered by the MPC Endowment, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit foundation affiliated with the Milwaukee Press Club.
 
“As someone who got to work with Meg and as a UW-Madison alum, I am grateful that this fund offers financial assistance and also that it spotlights Meg as an example and inspiration for future journalists,” said Joel Dresang, president of the MPC Endowment.
 
Donations are tax deductible and can be made by check or online at megjonesfund.org.