Jack Berry

John Thomas Berry (born October 7, 1931) is an American sports journalist. A native of Detroit, he graduated from Michigan State University with a degree in journalism, and wrote for the school's student newspaper, The State News. He was a correspondent for United Press International at the bureau in Lansing, Michigan, before working on the sports staff of the Detroit Free Press. He served as president of the Professional Hockey Writers' Association in 1971, then worked at The Detroit News from 1971 to 1993. As a golf correspondent and author of the "Golf Page", he covered more than 70 major golf championships during his career.

Berry was a founding board member of Michigan Golf Hall of Fame in 1982, and was elected president of the Golf Writers' Association of America in 1984. He was influential in lifting the ban on female reporters in the locker room at The Masters, and instrumental in admitting public players who met the minimum golf handicap into the Michigan Women's Amateur Championship. After 1993, he worked as a freelancer and wrote columns for PGA Magazine, Chicagoland Golf and the Michigan Golfer. He was inducted into the Michigan Golf Hall of Fame in 2003, he received the PGA Lifetime Achievement Award in Journalism in 2007, and was inducted into the Michigan Women's Golf Association Hall of Fame in 2017.

Early life and education John Thomas Berry was born on October 7, 1931, in Detroit, Michigan. His love for sports began at a young age, since his father Clair worked as the traveling secretary of the Detroit Tigers from 1940 to 1951. He worked part-time at the Lansing, Michigan, bureau of United Press during his senior year at Michigan State University, then was hired to work full-time when he graduated. Berry stated that he was a one-man-show in sports at the office, and "learned to write fast, write short and be able to dictate off the top of your head". He continued to report on hockey, golf, baseball and college sports, in addition to skiing and Michigan State Spartans football. then became president in 1971 when it was renamed to the Professional Hockey Writers' Association (PHWA) to distinguish itself from teams in the league. He retired as president in 1972, but remained as a director for the PHWA.

The Detroit News Berry wrote for The Detroit News from 1971 to 1993. He worked with local PGA professionals and the Detroit Recreation Department to grow junior golf programs, In 1982, he was a founding board member of Michigan Golf Hall of Fame. He was inducted into the Michigan Women's Golf Association Hall of Fame in 2017.