Russ Pankonin honored as Master Editor-Publisher

By Alan Carman
The Imperial Republican
    On Friday, April 17, the Nebraska Press Association held an evening program to award a few individuals for honors in the field of Newspapers. Former co-owner and publisher of Johnson Publications, Russ Pankonin, was recognized as the 50th winner of the Master Editor-Publisher Award.
    One of the highest and most prestigious awards of the Nebraska Press Association, the Master Editor-Publisher Award, is presented to present or former publishers or editors of a weekly or daily newspaper.
    The selection is based on the following criteria: The nominee has worked hard and lived honorably; has thought soundly and influenced unselfishly; through his or her newspaper connections, has been active in a variety of ways in his or her community or in the state or nation; has been a practitioner of his or her craft in the production of a quality newspaper product.
    At Friday night’s banquet, Executive Director Emeritus of the Nebraska Press Association, Allen J. Beermann presented the award to Pankonin.
    Beermann stated the first time he and his wife met Russ and wife, Lori, at a Husker football game, he knew they would do great things in the association.
    Russ and Lori were inducted into the Nebraska Press Association Hall of Fame in 2024, as the first husband and wife team to be selected.
    Locals know Pankonin through his 39 years of community journalism in Wauneta, Grant and Imperial. He and wife Lori, ran the Wauneta Breeze for 15 years, before moving to Imperial in 1998 to assist with the operation, which also included the Holyoke ( Colo.) Enterprise.
    In 1999, they joined Lori’s sister, Brenda Brandt, in the purchase of Johnson Publications. Brandt served as the publisher of the Holyoke Enterprise.
    Together they published The Imperial Republican, Holyoke Enterprise, Grant Tribune Sentinel and the Wauneta Breeze, before selling the papers to Lloyd and Jesse Mullen in November 2021.
    Pankonin had a column that ran on the opinion page for years called, “Shootin’ the Breeze”, addressing all kinds of local topics.
    He was known for his strong editorial voice, award winning writing and deep community involvement.
    He served as the president of The Nebraska Press Association and Nebraska Press Advertising Service.     
    Pankonin has been active in the communities that he served. While working in Wauneta at the Breeze, he served on the village board and was a volunteer fireman for 15 years.  He also joined the Chase Coun-ty fair board, where he continues to serve.
    Pankonin was a founding partner in ALLO Communications and is a partner in Gigabit, a fiber-to-the-home network serving Imperial.
    He is a past Chamber president and served on the Community Redevelopment Author-
ity, created after the LB 840 sales tax was approved in Imperial.
    Pankonin is a member of Imperial Methodist Church, serving on several boards. After more than 30 years, he continues to referee high school and junior high basketball and refereed two years at the girls state tournament.
    Even to this day, Pankonin assists at the newspaper when needed and writes an occasional story.