The photojournalism career of NAU alumnus Gary O’Brien will come into focus during the Eunson/AP Awards Ceremony at 7 p.m. April 27 in room 119 of the School of Communication.
O’Brien, a 1979 photography graduate, won the honor for his award-winning career spanning more than 25 years at newspapers in Arizona and North Carolina.
“NAU prepared me for my career by giving me a solid background in all aspects of the
newspaper business,” O’Brien said. “In my first couple of jobs, I did everything from make photos to write headlines to paste up pages. I’ve continued to learn as much as I can about all the different parts of the newspaper and how they work together. Taking that broad approach has made all the difference in the world for me.”
Media law specialist, Daniel Barr, will lecture at the ceremony, sponsored by the School of Communication and the Associated Press and NAU’s Student Media Connection.
O’Brien is currently the photo systems editor at the Charlotte Observer in North Carolina. He joined the Observer staff in 1988 after five years at the Mesa Tribune, one year at the Arizona Daily Sunand several years freelancing. He was North Carolina Photographer of the Year in 1993 and 1994, and has won numerous awards for his photography, design and editing work. His recent photojournalism work includes documenting a year in a fifth-grade class and preparing the Observer for Internet publication.
The award is named after Robert R. Eunson, a 1936 graduate of Arizona State Teachers College, now NAU, whose career included being a war correspondent, journalist and an Associated Press executive.