Beyers, Robert J.

Robert W. Beyers, known for his candid reporting, directed the Stanford News Service from 1961 to 1990. Educated at Cornell University, he was a journalist and public relations director before joining the University of Michigan News Service. He came to Stanford in 1961 with his Michigan mentor, Lyle Nelson; together they created the STANFORD OBSERVER, a monthly publication for alumni, and the CAMPUS REPORT, a weekly internal newspaper. Beyers was awarded the Kenneth M. Cuthbertson Award for exceptional service to the university in 1983. He died in October 2002.

Cornell University Class of 1953. As a student, Robert Beyers was editor-in-chief of the student newspaper, the Cornell Daily Sun." In the 1960s he participated in the civil rights movement in Mississippi and was university relations officer at the University of Michigan before becoming director of the Stanford University News Service, a position he held for nearly 30 years. He was a leader in Editorial Projects for Education, which launched the Chronicle of Higher Education. He also served from 1990 to 1995 as a volunteer editor for Pacific News Service, the San Francisco-based independent news agency.