By Elizabeth Cook, salisburypost.com

When former Post Sports Editor Ed Dupree took an interest in twins Benjy and Brad Hamm, he set in motion two award-winning journalism careers.

Benjy is editorial director of Landmark Community Newspapers, guiding the news side of 56 paid-circulation papers, seven college sports publications and several free publications.

Brad is the dean of the Indiana University School of Journalism, expanding a tradition-rich program and leading some of the nation's top journalism students on foreign study trips.

Now 45, the sons of Alice Owens and L.P. Hamm of Salisbury recently received Distinguished Alumni of the Year Awards from the University of South Carolina College of Mass Communications and Information Studies.

For a night, Brad and Benjy were together again, receiving twin awards.

"It was good to do it with Brad," Benjy says. "We're just pleased that they thought what we've done was worthy of this award."

Brad is equally humble.

"I always am surprised when other people think something I do is worth an award," he says.

Dupree got to know the Hamms through the Faith Flyers, a track club he coached from 1974 to 1986.

"From the beginning, as 10- or 11-year-olds, they were great boys," Dupree says.

He invited them along to the Post newsroom occasionally and had Brad writing sports stories before he was out of high school.

Benjy says that exposure made all the difference.

"A lot of people helped us in a lot of ways," Benjy says, "but I don't think we would have even known about the newsroom and the possibilities if it hadn't been for Ed."

They graduated from East Rowan High School and, as communications majors, worked part-time for the Post while students at Catawba.  Read more...

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FULL STORY: Brothers Make Their Marks on Journalism (SalisburyPost.com)

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