ABOUT THE WINNER: Henry Fuhrmann was such a renowned copy editor that he changed the Associated Press stylebook. But for generations of AAJA members, he was a mentor.

An AAJA member since 1989, Henry joined the Los Angeles Times in 1991, and rose through the ranks of many editing roles, eventually becoming an assistant managing editor and head of the copy desk until his retirement in 2015.

Henry was a passionate advocate for the precise and accurate usage of words in news coverage, especially in his efforts to improve the coverage of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. He successfully convinced the Associated Press Stylebook to drop the hyphen in “Asian-Americans,” “African-Americans” and other versions of the term to describe the heritage of American identities. 

“Those hyphens serve to divide even as they are meant to connect. Their use in racial and ethnic identities can connote as otherness, a sense that people of color are somehow not full citizens or fully American,” Fuhrmann said in a 2018 essay.

He was instrumental in the call that led to the AP Stylebook’s guidance on the use of the word “incarceration” over “internment” to describe the treatment of Japanese Americans during World War II. 

Henry served as co-president of AAJA Los Angeles three times, held every chapter officer role and served on the AAJA Board of Directors and Advisory Board. His achievements earned him the self-described title of an “AAJA Elder.” But he is remembered as a leader who always made time for his AAJA family with warmth, humility and humor, and believed strongly in the power of mentorship and giving back to the next generation of journalists.