The only White House press secretary to serve in two separate administrations will be honored this Fall by the K-State Alumni Association.
Marlin Fitzwater, a 1965 journalism graduate, is the 2019 recipient of the Alumni Excellence Award according to a release by the association. He served as press secretary for both Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush during his 10 years working in the White House.
The award was created to celebrate alumni and is bestowed annually to a KSU alumna/alumnus whose “whose career, service and achievements exemplify the spirit, values and excellence of the university.”
“Marlin Fitzwater’s commitment and service to our country as press secretary for two U.S. presidents is truly a testament to what K-Staters can accomplish,” says Amy Button Renz, president and CEO of the Alumni Association.
This award is another of a long list that Fitzwater has received, which include being named an Outstanding Civil Servant in government in ’81, the Capital-Journal’s Kansan of the Year in ’87, the Presidential Citizens Medal in ’92, the William Allen White Citation for Journalism from KU in ’04 and the New Hampshire Political Library Award in ’04.
Fitzwater, who grew up near Abilene, began his career editing the Lindsborg News Record and has also worked for the the Abilene Reflector-Chronicle, Manhattan Mercury and Topeka Capital-Journal. Additionally, he was a consultant and writer for the West Wing television show for two years, the president of the D.C.-based PR firm Fitzwater & Tutwiler Inc. and authored multiple novels and short stories. Some of his other ventures include founding the Marlin Fitzwater Center for Communication at Franklin Pierce University in New Hampshire and serving on the Franklin Pierce University Board of Trustees and Advisory Council of the George H.W. Bush Presidential Library Foundation.
The K-State Alumni Association will present Fitzwater the award on October 17 during a banquet in the Alumni Center.
