Karen Waldron, longtime administrative aide at Southern Illinois University Carbondale and SISPA and IHSA coordinator, was honored Friday, Sept. 14, 2012, as IJEA’s Friend of Scholastic Journalism.

Waldron, who has directed the annual SISPA convention in Carbondale and the IHSA sectionals at SIUC for many years, was singled out for exceptional work, good nature and support of advisers and their students by IJEA President Sarah Doerner, former SISPA director Herman Albers, former IJEA executive director James Tidwell, and SIUC’s School of Journalism director Bill Frievogel.