Changing of the Guard: Outgoing NPC President Hughes hands gavel to new chief Burr

Outgoing National Press Club President John Hughes turned over the gavel to incoming president Thomas Burr on Friday, Jan. 15, at the club's general membership meeting, which also highlighted reports of a "low slide" in membership but ending 2015 "completely debt free."

Burr, a reporter for the Salt Lake Tribune and outgoing vice president, choked back tears when he said in his opening remarks: "This is my promise: we're going to build on our successes."

Burr -- who said his hometown, Salina, UT, is "so small we just got our first stop light" -- came to Washington 10 years ago. Hughes praised Burr, who served last year as vice president, as being even keeled. At 35, he is one of the youngest of the Club's 109 presidents, who traditionally are limited to one term.

With apologies to John F. Kennedy, Burr said, "ask not what your club can do for you, but what you can do for your club."

Hughes got a standing ovation after giving his president's report, capped by a showing of the Club's news conference last March urging the release of Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian, held for more than a year as a hostage in Iran.

Hughes, a reporter for Bloomberg, talked about having set three Club goals a year ago in the areas of press freedom, membership, particularly among the new media, and "renewal," that is, seeking new ways of doing things. One area he singled out was the Club's Book-Author Committee; half of its guests were women and a quarter were ethnically diverse.

"Press freedom is central to all that we do at the Press Club," Hughes said.

Joe Morton, outgoing membership secretary and incoming secretary, said there was a "low slide" in membership to 3,099, down about a hundred from one year ago. Journalist members was down to 1,401 from 1,443, although the number of members under age 35 was up slightly.

About 100 attended the general meeting.

"Now that our finances are in order," Morton said, "it's time to turn to the membership situation."

Members of the audience suggested a focus on "retention," to keep those persons who do come to the Club. Morton also said that the Club was attempting to do this through involving new members in its vast array of committees.

Treasurer Marc Wojno said that with only preliminary figures from December, he expected the Club would show a profit of more than $1.15 million for 2015 and revenue in the range of $13.7 million. Despite bad weather at the start of 2015 and the nation generally experiencing a bad first quarter, he said, "we ended the year completely debt-free."

He said there is additional money from the sale of Norman Rockwell's "Country Editor" sale and a U.S. Foods class action suit.