JACKSON, MS (July 14, 2008) – Photojournalist J.D. Schwalm, who worked for The Clarion-Ledger in Jackson for more than 24 years, died Thursday after battling cancer for more than a year. He was 53 and died at Hospice Ministries in Ridgeland, MS.
Schwalm was well-known in the community after so many years covering local events, and the native of Kokomo, IN, was also known as a family man who loved his wife of 25 years, Amy, and his sons Luke, 19, and Adam, 15.
In a story in The Clarion-Leger, editors and co-workers praised Schwalm's photography and his "search for perfection" in a career where that is "nearly impossible to obtain," and for his non-photographic contributions to stories in his role as a journalist.
The photojournalist graduated from Indiana University in Bloomington with a journalism degree in 1977, and he studied humanities at Harlaxton College in Grantham, Lincolnshire, England in 1975. Before joining The Clarion-Ledger, he worked at The Register-Mail in Galesburg, IL, and The Messenger-Inquirer in Owensboro, KY. Schwalm first joined NPPA in 1980 and was a member for more than 25 years.
Funeral services were pending with Wright & Ferguson mortuary.
