By John R. Adkins
As the student-led publication The Guardsman celebrates its 90th anniversary, Gonzales is receiving national recognition from the Society of Professional Journalists. The Distinguished Teaching Award, which honors only one teacher nationally each year, bookends Gonzales’s more than 40 years of service to the college, during which he molded a program that has provided immeasurable value to San Francisco’s rich media landscape.
On Oct. 23, members of the college’s board of trustees, each carrying a copy of The Guardsman, offered praise of the teacher’s contributions to the college and the field of journalism.
The trustees honored Gonzales with their own certificate of recognition, then later acknowledged the retirements of several employees, including Gonzales, who will have served 41 years and 6 months come June.
Trustee Alan Wong said that when he first met Gonzales more than five years prior, they discussed his retirement.
“He told me, ‘I’m still here because I want to be sure to protect the Journalism Department, to make sure its still here after I go,’” Wong said. “That’s one of the reasons he continued his work here and his passion here.”
The City College journalism department has been a proving ground for journalists who have gone on to work at top media publications across the nation. Like many of the college’s training programs, it has provided a pipeline to the city’s workforce and helped sustain San Francisco’s reputation as a media-rich model for other American cities.
“The school should realize how important this program is to that sector of the city that relies on an institution that keeps its residents informed,” Gonzales said.