The Greenlee School of Journalism and Communication at Iowa State University has named Alan and Steve Mores the recipients of its 2023 James W. Schwartz Award. The annual award recognizes distinguished service to journalism and communication and is the highest honor conferred by the school.
The Mores brothers have been involved in the Iowa newspaper business since they were children. Their father, Leo Mores, owned Harlan Newspapers in Harlan, Iowa, and was a 1988 Schwartz recipient.
After graduating from Iowa State in 1967 with a bachelor’s in science journalism, Steve went on to the University of Iowa to earn a master’s in advertising and marketing. He then returned to his family publications to “earn his Ph.D.” on the streets of Harlan. Co-publisher by 1973 and corporate president by 1983, Steve was overseeing Harlan’s two papers, two shoppers and a central plant printing over 25 other publications on a regular basis.
Alan graduated with honors from Iowa State with a bachelor’s in journalism and communication in 1980 and became co-publisher with Steve in 1984. Harlan Newspapers under Tribune Newspapers, Inc. have accumulated hundreds of state and national awards and have been instrumental in developing countless publishers, editors, reporters, and many other journalist-related careers.
Steve and Alan have extended their impact by funding several scholarships and programs at Iowa State, including the Leo Mores Society of Professional Journalists chapter and the Mores Family Journalism Scholarships, which have supported over 100 journalism students since 1990. They also funded the endowment for the Iowa Newspaper Leadership Institute, now called the Mores Media Fellowship, a learning institute for community journalists in Iowa, which they created in 2008 and has supported 70 aspiring young journalists.
The brothers each have a long tenure of service and recognition across the state.
Steve earned Harlan Citizen of the Year, the Harlan Leadership Award, and is finishing his 39th year as president of the Harlan Building Corporation and Industrial Foundation. He has also been active within Iowa State University alumni areas, where he has received their Alumni Medal, a Distinguished Service Award, and sits on the university Foundation’s Board of Governors. As a past Alumni Association board chair, he recently finished serving as co-chair of the Association’s Circle Guild.
With the Iowa Newspapers Association and Foundation, Steve has served on the Foundation Board and spent over 20 years on the INA Legislative Committee. He was honored as the youngest ever to receive the “Master Editor-Publisher” recognition in 1989, the highest newspapering award given in the state. His brother Alan “stole the title of youngest ever” when he got the award in 2000.
Steve and his wife of 54 years, Michelle, have also established ISU Foundation insurance endowments for the ISU Alumni Association and the Greenlee School of Journalism.
“It is exciting, and I am honored and humbled to receive the Schwartz Award, especially knowing one of the first recipients was our father, Leo Mores. He was an outstanding journalism mentor, and the Greenlee School added to my news gathering and writing skills. The University offered so many great leadership opportunities as well,” Steve said.
Alan is a past president of the Iowa Newspaper Association, Services Board and the Iowa Newspaper Foundation. He was given Iowa’s two highest newspaper journalism honors as its youngest-ever Master Editor-Publisher and Distinguished Service Award honoree.
He was also named City of Harlan’s youngest Citizen of the Year and Iowa’s Small Business Administration’s Journalist of the Year. He has served on the boards of the Iowa State University Greenlee School of Journalism Advisory Board and Iowa Association of Business and Industry.
While at Iowa State, Alan was a press intern for Gov. Robert Ray (R-IA) and U.S. Rep. W. Henson Moore (R-LA). His first ISU advisor was future department head and former Harlan Newspaper news editor James Schwartz—for whom the Schwartz award is named—and his mentor was Carl Hamilton, who was then ISU’s director of information and for whom the building Hamilton Hall is named.
Alan has produced two celebrated History of Downtown Harlan books and also published the 1979 Harlan Centennial publication, Petersen Family Wellness Center magazine, and numerous historical and informational publications during his 40-year career. He and his wife, Donna Christensen-Mores, an attorney who graduated from Iowa State with a 1979 degree in journalism, have a son, Jackson, and daughter, Chandler.
“I credit much of our success to our Iowa State journalism degrees, our outstanding Harlan Newspapers staff and the support from our families,” Alan said.
“The health of our democracy is directly related to the health of community journalism. Steve and Alan Mores have spent their careers strengthening community journalism across the state and supporting emerging leaders within Iowa journalism. I am so happy to recognize their dedicated service and impact with the 2023 James W. Schwartz Award,” said Michael Dahlstrom, director of the Greenlee School.
Steve and Alan will be recognized at the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Honors and Awards Ceremony the evening of Thursday, Nov. 2, at the ISU Alumni Center.
About the James W. Schwartz Award
The James W. Schwartz Award is the highest honor conferred by Iowa State University’s Greenlee School of Journalism and Communication. It is awarded in honor of alumnus James W. Schwartz (1941), who served as department chair of the school for 13 years and president of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication. The Schwartz Award has been presented since 1978 to leaders in journalism and related fields. The school’s advisory council and faculty nominate candidates and faculty and staff select the winner. Previous honorees include four Pulitzer Prize winners, distinguished broadcast journalists, authors, advertising and public relations executives, newspaper and magazine publishers and editors and leading writers in a variety of specialty areas.
About the Greenlee School of Journalism and Communication
At Iowa State University’s Greenlee School of Journalism and Communication, students create their adventures in a top communication program. In the classroom, students practice the latest communication trends and methods as they are mentored by award-winning practitioners and respected scholars. They also apply their skills through involvement in student media and organizations. A required professional media internship gives undergraduates an industry experience that builds their resumes and portfolios and prepares them for success as they enter the workforce. The Greenlee School has been continuously accredited by ACEJMC since its initial accreditation in 1948. The Greenlee School offers three undergraduate majors – journalism and mass communication, advertising and public relations – and a master’s degree in journalism and mass communication.