Upper Montclair, NJ — Leon Zimmerman, a member of the Harness Racing Communicators Hall of Fame, returned to Montclair State University on September 18, 2024, to speak at a seminar for English majors about his extensive career in journalism and public relations.
Zimmerman, who graduated in 1959 with a degree in English, shared stories from his six-decade writing career, which included his work as a national award-winning journalist for The Record of Hackensack and his role as a public relations and government affairs professional in Trenton, New Jersey. In 1969, the American Political Science Association recognised Zimmerman with an award for "Distinguished Reporting of Public Affairs." His significant contributions to harness racing as a writer and legislative lobbyist earned him induction into the Harness Racing Communicators Hall of Fame in 2009.
During the seminar, Zimmerman reflected on his varied roles during his 12½ years in journalism, including covering regional news, courts, government, and politics, and serving as State House Bureau Chief and Politics Editor. One of his most notable assignments was reporting on the 1967 USA-Soviet Summit Conference between President Lyndon B. Johnson and Premier Alexei Kosygin at what is now Rowan University. In 2023, Zimmerman returned to the campus as a featured speaker for the Summit's 100th Anniversary Commemoration.
Zimmerman also shared memories of other key moments in his career, such as reporting on U.S. Navy anti-submarine defence operations from an aircraft carrier off the coast of Virginia, covering the 1968 New Hampshire Presidential Primary, and interviewing Yankees catcher Elston Howard on the day he won the American League's Most Valuable Player award.