History of the Devroy Fund
The fund was started by Devroy's family and colleagues at The Washington Post after she died of cancer in 1997 at the age of 49. Their generosity supports the Devroy Fellowship, which provides a scholarship and a three-week stint at The Washington Post, as well as eligibility to apply for a paid summer internship at a Wisconsin daily newspaper. It also supports the Devroy Forum, which annually brings journalists of national prominence to UW-Eau Claire.
History of The Devroy Forum
With the incredible opportunities given to journalism students through the Ann Devroy Memorial Fund, our faculty is proud to house the Ann Devroy Memorial Forum and Fellowship.
Shortly after Devroy's death, Doug Kaiser, a 1968 UW-Eau Claire alumnus and friend of Devroy, contacted UW-Eau Claire with a suggestion of establishing an internship program with The Washington Post in Devroy's name. Coleman, a Wisconsin native and a graduate of the UW-Milwaukee himself, helped UW-Eau Claire design the fellowship, won a commitment from The Washington Post for an annual winter fellowship in the newsroom and raised tens of thousands of dollars. He recruited prominent Post journalists to speak at the Devroy Forum.
When the fund was established, Mark Matthews, Devroy's husband, said it was important to him that those benefiting from the dollars have an interest in journalism —the career that meant so much to Devroy. But, he said, recipients should also have the same spirit and love of life that Devroy possessed.
While still an undergraduate student, Devroy worked full time at the Eau Claire Leader-Telegram. She was eager to start her career but also needed the money for school, Matthews said, adding that he hopes the fund will ease the financial burden on others with similar backgrounds.
In 2003, the UW-Eau Claire Foundation received a challenge grant of $20,000 from the Philip Graham Fund to encourage additional giving to the Ann Devroy Memorial Fund.
The challenge grant resulted in several gifts, the largest of which was a $25,000 gift from George Stephanopoulos, who was senior adviser to President Clinton when Ann Devroy was The Washington Post's top White House correspondent. The gift was Stephanopoulos' second contribution to the Devroy Fund. He also was among the initial contributors when the fund was created and praised Devroy's contributions to journalism.
In testament to Devroy's impact on journalism and outstanding life, her friends and colleagues continue to honor her memory through contributions to this fund 10 years after her death. The fund has a current balance of more than $127,000 and benefits from consistent and generous support. The goal is to increase the endowment to $250,000.
Forum Presenters
Each year we bring some of the most remarkable journalists to present the Ann Devroy Memorial Fellowship to one of our most promising journalism students. Our presenters come to campus, meet in classrooms, chat with journalism students, and present on what they're most passionate about. Past presenters have discussed politics, social media, and beyond.
