Founder Honored with

Character Award

 

   Paul McLeod, founder and chief executive officer of McLeod Enterprises, has been recognized for integrity in journalism by the Southern Section of the California Interscholastic Federation with a “Champion for Character” award.

 

   A former reporter at the Los Angeles Times, McLeod has 32 years of experience in reporting, sports writing, radio-television and public relations. He was selected from a panel of nominees.

 

   “This award is being presented to you based on a recommendation that cited you as exemplifying the very finest in writing that reflect sportsmanship, character, integrity and athletics,” CIF-Southern Section Commissioner Jim Staunton said. “This is truly an honor.”

 

   McLeod authored about 2,600 bylined stories in nearly 21 years on a variety of beats before leaving the Times last June. His works were cited numerous times for the way they were crafted. A 1994 story on the Northridge Earthquake was included as part of the package that won The Times a Pulitzer prize. A story on Latino diabetes was cited in 1995 by the American Diabetes Assn. and a 1997 effort on a little-known California horse auction earned a Sprint Award from the American Quarter Horse Assn. Last March his final major effort – a front page story on the state budget crisis and its affect on college athletics – earned accolade from editors and reporters alike.

 

   McLeod has also written for the Long Beach Press-Telegram and the Orange County Register and served seven years as a media representative for the athletic department at Cypress College, where more than a dozen publications he created earned top state or national honors. He is the holder of a lifetime community college teaching credential and has taught communication and physical education courses at Cypress, Fullerton and Orange Coast colleges. He is an active mentor with the Journalism Assn. of Community Colleges and is known for philanthropic efforts on behalf of youth sports activities in Orange County. He currently is in development of several web sites.