07 Aug 2025 In memoriam George C. Conklin Jr. (1931-2025)

George Conklin, who has died aged 93, was a long-serving member of the North American Broadcast Section of WACC (NABS-WACC) and of WACC North America.

George’s LinkedIn page described him as “a social change agent in broadcasting” and a “rabble-rouser in civil rights in broadcasting.”

Over the course of a long and distinguished career, George was Director of Radio-Television and Print for the Greater Hartford Council of Churches; Associate Director for the Northern California Council of Churches; Associate Professor of Communication and Culture at Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley, California (USA).

He was a founding member of the North American Broadcast Section of the World Association for Christian Communication (NABS-WACC), a member of WACC-North America’s Regional Executive Committee, a Life Member of and photographer for the Religion Communicators Council, and co-creator and Project Director for Worldwide Faith News with the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA.

George’s visionary approach to religious communications led to the development of Worldwide Faith News (WFN), which aggregates news and articles from the news offices of national and world faith groups, and went online in 1995.

George served as WFN’s project director from its inception and shepherded the project through several changes in technology over the years.

George was a passionate photographer. One of his best-known images was of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. speaking at the Cow Palace in San Francisco in May 1964, catching a powerful beam of light illuminating King at the podium.

Describing the occasion, George said, “The long evening wore on. The humidity in the vast hall increased, and I could see the beam appearing. I got up and took the last frames of a 36-frame roll.”

George earned the respect of many teachers and students for his creativity and storytelling, as well as his passion for social justice. WACC celebrates his life and many achievements.

With acknowledgement to Worldwide Faith News and Pacific School of Religion.