Michael P. Dunne
Encyclopedia
Michael Patrick "Mike" Dunne (June 21, 1949 - July 8, 2007) was an award-winning newspaper
reporter, author
, and professor
in Baton Rouge, Louisiana
, who later specialized in conservation
issues. He exposed the dangers of "Cancer Alley
", a term used to refer to Louisiana's petrochemical
corridor. It was cancer that would cause Dunne's own death at the age of fifty-eight.
Dunne was born in New Orleans to William Victor Dunne (1914–1997) and the former Geraldine Helen Kussmann (born 1918). He served in the United States Army
and earned a bachelor's degree
in broadcast journalism
from Louisiana State University
in Baton Rouge in 1974. He worked for newspapers in Alabama
, Florida
, and New Orleans, as well as the Alexandria Daily Town Talk
in Alexandria
. He was a second assistant city editor on the former Baton Rouge State-Times. He moved to general reporting and the copy desk at the Baton Rouge Morning Advocate in the early 1980s. He became an investigative reporter for WBRZ-TV
in Baton Rouge but then returned to The Advocate in 1993. He also taught journalism as an adjunct instructor in the Manship School of Mass Communications at LSU.
Dunne won journalism awards for general-assignment reporting and coverage of the police, courts, education, city hall, and environment. In the late 1980s, Dunne and Advocate reporter Bob Anderson received national honors three times in a year for stories on coastal erosion
and a series on air pollution
. Dunne was a two-time winner of the Scripps-Howard Foundation's Edward J. Meeman Award. In the spring of 2007, with his health in decline, Dunne received the first "America's Wetland Conservationist of the Year" award for stories on threats to the Louisiana Gulf Coast.
A founding member of the Society of Environmental Journalists
, Dunne was co-author of the book America's Wetland: Louisiana's Vanishing Coast with photographer Bevil Knapp. R. King Milling, the chairman of America’s Wetland Foundation, said that Dunne had a "no-nonsense approach to reporting on the issue of coastal land loss."
Morning Advocate reporter Amy Wold described Dunne as "an amazing mentor to me because his knowledge of environmental issues in Louisiana was so extensive. . . . He’s well known and respected nationwide. He's been a really good teacher and friend."
Himself an Eagle Scout
, Dunne was a volunteer with Istrouma Area Council, Boy Scouts of America
, having served as council vice chairman of programs. In addition, he was known for work with Alcoholics Anonymous
and as a board member of the O'Brien House in Baton Rouge.
Dunne underwent chemotherapy
in his fight against cancer. His body was cremated. Memorial services were held on July 11, 2007, at St. Aloysius Catholic Church in Baton Rouge. His ashes were distributed by his sons at his favorite places. Dunne's friend and environmental-issues colleague Robert McClure of Seattle
, described Dunne as "all about helping others. He had a big heart, an open source list, and a hearty word of encouragement for any reporter who turned to him for help."
In addition to his mother, Dunne was survived by his wife, the former Freda Claire Yarbrough, New Media Director at The Advocate; sons, William Bradford Pipes Dunne of Monterey, California
, and Dylan William Dunne of Baton Rouge; two sisters, Kathleen Lee Dunne Galliand and her husband, Ronald Victor Galliand, of Mandeville
in St. Tammany Parish, and Deborah Lee Dunne Brennan and her husband, James Christopher Brennan, of Raleigh, North Carolina
; three nephews, and two great-nieces.
Dunne was the third Advocate news staffer to die in 2007. Advocate Capitol bureau chief John LaPlante
drowned in the Gulf of Mexico
near Galveston, Texas
, on April 14; Laurie Smith Anderson, author of "The Patient Person" column, died May 9 after her battle with cancer, and Dunne succumbed on July 8 from the disease.
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
reporter, author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
, and professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
in Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Baton Rouge is the capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is located in East Baton Rouge Parish and is the second-largest city in the state.Baton Rouge is a major industrial, petrochemical, medical, and research center of the American South...
, who later specialized in conservation
Conservation ethic
Conservation is an ethic of resource use, allocation, and protection. Its primary focus is upon maintaining the health of the natural world: its, fisheries, habitats, and biological diversity. Secondary focus is on materials conservation and energy conservation, which are seen as important to...
issues. He exposed the dangers of "Cancer Alley
Cancer Alley
Cancer Alley is an area along the Mississippi River between Baton Rouge and New Orleans, in the River Parishes of Louisiana, which contains numerous industrial plants....
", a term used to refer to Louisiana's petrochemical
Petrochemical
Petrochemicals are chemical products derived from petroleum. Some chemical compounds made from petroleum are also obtained from other fossil fuels, such as coal or natural gas, or renewable sources such as corn or sugar cane....
corridor. It was cancer that would cause Dunne's own death at the age of fifty-eight.
Dunne was born in New Orleans to William Victor Dunne (1914–1997) and the former Geraldine Helen Kussmann (born 1918). He served in the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
and earned a bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
in broadcast journalism
Broadcast journalism
Broadcast journalism is the field of news and journals which are "broadcast", that is, published by electrical methods, instead of the older methods, such as printed newspapers and posters. Broadcast methods include radio , television , and, especially recently, the Internet generally...
from Louisiana State University
Louisiana State University
Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, most often referred to as Louisiana State University, or LSU, is a public coeducational university located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The University was founded in 1853 in what is now known as Pineville, Louisiana, under the name...
in Baton Rouge in 1974. He worked for newspapers in Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, and New Orleans, as well as the Alexandria Daily Town Talk
The Town Talk (Alexandria)
The Town Talk, started as The Daily Town Talk in 1883 and later named the Alexandria Daily Town Talk, is the major newspaper of Central Louisiana. It is published by Gannett in Alexandria, the seat of Rapides Parish and the economic center of Central Louisiana.The daily newspaper has a circulation...
in Alexandria
Alexandria, Louisiana
Alexandria is a city in and the parish seat of Rapides Parish, Louisiana, United States. It lies on the south bank of the Red River in almost the exact geographic center of the state. It is the principal city of the Alexandria metropolitan area which encompasses all of Rapides and Grant parishes....
. He was a second assistant city editor on the former Baton Rouge State-Times. He moved to general reporting and the copy desk at the Baton Rouge Morning Advocate in the early 1980s. He became an investigative reporter for WBRZ-TV
WBRZ-TV
WBRZ, virtual channel 2 , is an ABC affiliate television station serving Baton Rouge, Louisiana, south-central and southeastern Louisiana and southwestern Mississippi. It is owned by the Manship family, who also publishes the Baton Rouge daily newspaper, The Advocate. Its transmitter is located in...
in Baton Rouge but then returned to The Advocate in 1993. He also taught journalism as an adjunct instructor in the Manship School of Mass Communications at LSU.
Dunne won journalism awards for general-assignment reporting and coverage of the police, courts, education, city hall, and environment. In the late 1980s, Dunne and Advocate reporter Bob Anderson received national honors three times in a year for stories on coastal erosion
Coastal erosion
Coastal erosion is the wearing away of land and the removal of beach or dune sediments by wave action, tidal currents, wave currents, or drainage...
and a series on air pollution
Air pollution
Air pollution is the introduction of chemicals, particulate matter, or biological materials that cause harm or discomfort to humans or other living organisms, or cause damage to the natural environment or built environment, into the atmosphere....
. Dunne was a two-time winner of the Scripps-Howard Foundation's Edward J. Meeman Award. In the spring of 2007, with his health in decline, Dunne received the first "America's Wetland Conservationist of the Year" award for stories on threats to the Louisiana Gulf Coast.
A founding member of the Society of Environmental Journalists
Society of Environmental Journalists
The Society of Environmental Journalists is a non-profit created by and for journalists who report environmental topics in the news media. The mission of the Society of Environmental Journalists is to strengthen the quality, reach and viability of journalism across all media to advance public...
, Dunne was co-author of the book America's Wetland: Louisiana's Vanishing Coast with photographer Bevil Knapp. R. King Milling, the chairman of America’s Wetland Foundation, said that Dunne had a "no-nonsense approach to reporting on the issue of coastal land loss."
Morning Advocate reporter Amy Wold described Dunne as "an amazing mentor to me because his knowledge of environmental issues in Louisiana was so extensive. . . . He’s well known and respected nationwide. He's been a really good teacher and friend."
Himself an Eagle Scout
Eagle Scout (Boy Scouts of America)
Eagle Scout is the highest rank attainable in the Boy Scouting program of the Boy Scouts of America . A Scout who attains this rank is called an Eagle Scout or Eagle. Since its introduction in 1911, the Eagle Scout rank has been earned by more than 2 million young men...
, Dunne was a volunteer with Istrouma Area Council, Boy Scouts of America
Boy Scouts of America
The Boy Scouts of America is one of the largest youth organizations in the United States, with over 4.5 million youth members in its age-related divisions...
, having served as council vice chairman of programs. In addition, he was known for work with Alcoholics Anonymous
Alcoholics Anonymous
Alcoholics Anonymous is an international mutual aid movement which says its "primary purpose is to stay sober and help other alcoholics achieve sobriety." Now claiming more than 2 million members, AA was founded in 1935 by Bill Wilson and Dr. Bob Smith in Akron, Ohio...
and as a board member of the O'Brien House in Baton Rouge.
Dunne underwent chemotherapy
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is the treatment of cancer with an antineoplastic drug or with a combination of such drugs into a standardized treatment regimen....
in his fight against cancer. His body was cremated. Memorial services were held on July 11, 2007, at St. Aloysius Catholic Church in Baton Rouge. His ashes were distributed by his sons at his favorite places. Dunne's friend and environmental-issues colleague Robert McClure of Seattle
Seattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
, described Dunne as "all about helping others. He had a big heart, an open source list, and a hearty word of encouragement for any reporter who turned to him for help."
In addition to his mother, Dunne was survived by his wife, the former Freda Claire Yarbrough, New Media Director at The Advocate; sons, William Bradford Pipes Dunne of Monterey, California
Monterey, California
The City of Monterey in Monterey County is located on Monterey Bay along the Pacific coast in Central California. Monterey lies at an elevation of 26 feet above sea level. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 27,810. Monterey is of historical importance because it was the capital of...
, and Dylan William Dunne of Baton Rouge; two sisters, Kathleen Lee Dunne Galliand and her husband, Ronald Victor Galliand, of Mandeville
Mandeville, Louisiana
Mandeville is a city in St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 12,421 in 2008. Mandeville is located on the North Shore of Lake Pontchartrain, south of Interstate 12. It is across the lake from the city of New Orleans and its southshore suburbs...
in St. Tammany Parish, and Deborah Lee Dunne Brennan and her husband, James Christopher Brennan, of Raleigh, North Carolina
Raleigh, North Carolina
Raleigh is the capital and the second largest city in the state of North Carolina as well as the seat of Wake County. Raleigh is known as the "City of Oaks" for its many oak trees. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city's 2010 population was 403,892, over an area of , making Raleigh...
; three nephews, and two great-nieces.
Dunne was the third Advocate news staffer to die in 2007. Advocate Capitol bureau chief John LaPlante
John LaPlante
John Maurice LaPlante, Jr. , was a United States political columnist, news bureau director, and college professor in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, who spent more than three decades covering Louisiana state government and politics...
drowned in the Gulf of Mexico
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico is a partially landlocked ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. In...
near Galveston, Texas
Galveston, Texas
Galveston is a coastal city located on Galveston Island in the U.S. state of Texas. , the city had a total population of 47,743 within an area of...
, on April 14; Laurie Smith Anderson, author of "The Patient Person" column, died May 9 after her battle with cancer, and Dunne succumbed on July 8 from the disease.