Establish the Dennis and Sharon McDougal Journalism Award

Dennis and Sharon McDougal, our beloved Papa and Bamba, died of injuries sustained in a car crash outside of Palm Springs on March 21, 2025.

Dennis was an award-winning journalist and author of fourteen books, the latest of which will be published in May 2025. Called "LA's No. 1 Muckraker," he was a dogged investigator and one-of-a-kind storyteller who spent his life speaking truth to power. He was also our irreplaceable brother, cousin, uncle, father, friend, and Papa.

Sharon was an equally brilliant wit and a lifelong truth-teller, but before anything else, she was devastatingly compassionate. A frequent volunteer at prisons, churches, and children's hospitals, Sharon was the epitome of kindness, generosity, and grace. She was also our cherished sister, cousin, aunt, mother, friend, and Bamba.

In their memory, the family plans to establish the Dennis and Sharon McDougal Award for Muckraking at the University of California, Irvine. The endowed award will go annually to a Literary Journalism student whose writing best demonstrates the values Dennis and Sharon embodied: bravery, honesty, curiosity, compassion, integrity, and justice. This modest annual award will honor Dennis and Sharon's fierce commitment to education as well as their relentless drive to make the world a kinder, fairer, better place.