5 added to Press Club's Hall of Fame

The Denver Press Club inducted five stalwarts of the local media into its Hall of Fame on Friday.

Three worked in The Denver Post newsroom in years past, one is the editor of Westword and the other a scribe at the Rocky Mountain News and former president of the Denver Press Club.

"Miss Helen" Bonfils assumed control of The Post in 1933 from the estate of her father, Frederick G. Bonfils, and his partner, Harry Tammen, who bought the fledgling newspaper in 1895. Time magazine assured readers that the change in ownership would not bring an end to The Post's "incomparable blatancy" created by her father.

Bonfils' induction was announced by Eva Hodges Watt, a reporter and editor at The Post for more than 40 years and a personal friend of Miss Helen's. Watt just released a biography she wrote about Bonfils titled "Papa's Girl." Bonfils died in 1972.
Jack Kisling was considered at least one of the top three, if not the best, scribes ever to write for The Post. The profound, provocative, jaundiced and very funny columnist spent 30 years at The Post before he died in 1998 at the age of 68.
Former Post reporter and successful author John Dunning said, "He was one of my favorite editors in the sense that he loved good writing and left it alone."

Former Post reporter George Lane spent virtually his entire career at The Post after attending a master's-in-journalism program at Columbia University on a fellowship. Lane was notorious for his sense of humor and his love of bowling, allegedly naming one of his daughters Monica (Lane) after missing her birth because of a bowling competition at Monaco Lanes.
Lane can still be found almost every Thursday night playing poker in the basement of the Press Club.
Patty Calhoun is the co-founder and editor of Westword and has probably a greater knowledge of metro Denver than any other journalist. Aside from running the show at the popular Denver weekly, Calhoun's weekly column, which can tackle almost any subject, was awarded the Golden Quill Award for editorial writing.

John Ensslin has reported for the Rocky Mountain News for 23 years, going back to one of his earliest assignments of covering the United Bank robbery. The ubiquitous, reliable Ensslin developed his craft so well that he has become the "go-to" guy, the utility infielder, for the Rocky.

Ensslin also has been the driving force behind the Press Club, at 1330 Glenarm Place, for the past 10 years, having served in virtually every elected office including twice as president. He jokes that perhaps his very patient wife should be the one inducted.

It was the 12th annual induction.

Staff writer Mike McPhee can be reached at 303-954-1409 or mmcphee@denverpost.com.

Jack Kisling ( 1930-1998) was inducted into the Denver Press Club Hall of Fame  on Friday, Sept 21st. 

Jack was my friend, my mentor, and a writer who was un-afraid to use the word "swell."  

A tri-weekly columnist for the Post, one week Jack took on the Pope, unions and mafia. I called him after the last of the trio... just to make sure he was still alive! 

We were working on a film project when I was searching for a name for the company. Wanting something that Jack would grab as a reflection of himself, I knew "Waterproof Duck"  aka "W.P.Duck" was a take, when Jack grinned, kind of whistled and said, "Well that's me."

Jack. It's NOT swell that you left us so soon.

Roni

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