The Vicksburg Post publisher Louis P. “Pat” Cashman III was honored Friday night as the 2011 inductee into the Mississippi Press Association Hall of Fame, and the Post’s general manager, Jimmy Clark, took office as president for daily newspapers of the MPA and Mississippi Press Services.

Both took the spotlight at an evening banquet at the 145th Annual MPA Convention taking place this weekend in Biloxi.

Cashman’s honor represents the first three-generation induction for any newspaper family in the association.

Still, he said he was surprised by the recognition.

“It’s a cliche, but I am very humbled to be included among these people, because I know a lot of the other recipients,” Cashman said. “I know what their accomplishments are.”

Just 58 of the state’s print journalists have been chosen for the MPA Hall of Fame since it was established in 1986, among them Cashman’s grandfather, Louis P. Cashman Sr., inducted in 1989, and his father, Louis P. Cashman Jr., honored in 2002.

“It’s because of the accomplishments of the paper, and that comes from the staff, not anything I’ve done,” said Cashman, who was joined at the banquet by his wife, the former Barbara Millsaps, and his children, Amanda and John. “The staff is really what’s being recognized.”

Cashman was nominated by Charlie Mitchell, associate dean of the Meek School of Journalism and New Media at the University of Mississippi and former executive editor of the Post.

“He’s a quiet person and he never does anything to bring attention to himself,” said Mitchell. “I thought it was past time for him to get the recognition for what he does in the community and for the newspaper.”

“Pat is a wonderful boss, probably the best boss I’ve ever had,” said Karen Gamble, managing editor. “He lets people do their jobs.”

Cashman currently serves as an elder and clerk at First Presbyterian Church. He also is on the Eagle Scout Review Board and Trustmark Bank Advisory Board, and is a past president of United Way of Central Mississippi, the Warren County Chamber of Commerce, Salvation Army Advisory Board and the Vicksburg Rotary Club. He administers the Cashman Family Scholarship that annually assists students with costs at Ole Miss.

The Vicksburg Post has been a family-owned newspaper for four generations since its founding by John Gordon Cashman on May 4, 1883. Pat Cashman’s children, Amanda and John, are the fifth.

Each publisher has faced different challenges, Cashman said, but the last five to 10 years have seen unprecedented change, from how the paper is delivered to who’s reading it.

“The information — however we distribute it to our customers — the information is still the important thing,” he said. “We’ve been here over 128 years, so I think that says something about how well we’ve provided that information. We have a reputation for getting it right.”

Where readers differ, the Post has always welcomed letters, comments and corrections, believing they make the newspaper more responsive and responsible to the community, he said.

Cashman’s strength in the field of journalism can be traced to his integrity, Mitchell said.

“He has always supported the editorial operation of the newspaper and its independence and integrity, even when it means publishing what some consider bad news,” Mitchell said. “He believes the community is better off knowing about it. Then they can deal with it.”

Clark, 64, is a native of Clinton who attended Clinton High School, Hinds Community College and Mississippi College, earning a degree in social science. He and his wife, Joanne, have three daughters and five grandchildren.

Clark has worked in the newspaper business for more than 30 years. He was circulation manager of The Clarion-Ledger in Jackson, Hattiesburg American in Hattiesburg, the Mississippi Press in Pascagoula and The Sun Herald in Biloxi and has been with The Vicksburg Post since 1997, first as circulation director and, since Jan. 1, 2002, as general manager.

He has been on the MPA board of directors for six years, serving as treasurer, vice president and president-elect before moving into his term as president.

A total of 115 newspapers are part of the MPA, founded in 1866.

MPA convention activities continue today, including the Better Newspaper Contest Editorial Awards Luncheon honoring achievements by individual editors, reporters, photographers and production staff during 2010.