FCG International Award to a Human Trajectory 2002:

Guillermo Luca de Tena y Brunet

The jury of the FCG International Award to a Human Trajectory and a meeting in and composed of the following distinct personalities: Mr. José Antonio Zarzalejos; Mr. Juan Velarde Fuertes; Mr. Alejandro Royo-Villanova; Mr. Alejandro Fernández Pombo; Mr. Vicente Díez García, under the presidency of Mr. Juan Velarde Fuertes, with Mr. Vicente Díez García acting as secretary, decided by unanimous vote to award the FCG international Prize to a human trajectory to: GUILLERMO LUCA DE TENA Y BRUNET. The jury considered that the award winner deserved in this Prize because of his professional and personal merits during a long trajectory which, together with loyalty to his principles and his dedication to the journalist foundation, contribution to the establishment of freedom in Spain, to restoring the Parliamentary Monarchy and to the prestige and honour of our country's press.

Guillermo Luca de Tena y Brunet, President of Honour and President of the Board of Founders of Spanish Press, editor of ABC Newspaper and BLANCO Y NEGRO, was born in Madrid in the eighth of June 1927.

He is the grandson of Mr. Torcuato Luca de Tena y Álvarez Osorio, founder of ABC Newspaper and BLANCO y NEGRO, and son of the journalist, writer and academic, Mr.. Juan Ignacio Luca de Tena.  His first few years of schooling were in France and then he moved to Santander where he studied secondary education during the Spanish Civil War.  He then moved Madrid where he finished his secondary education in the Pilar School and later graduated in law from the Complutense University and received a diploma in journalism from the Official School in Madrid.  He later moved to Great Britain to study English as well as French and German.

He started his career in the world of journalism in 1952 in Prensa Española and worked for the ABC newspaper in Seville, first as its manager [1953-1957] and later as the editor of the newspaper [1957-1962].  That year he was appointed to the board of directors of Prensa Española and he had to move to Madrid.  Later that same year he was named editor of Blanco y Negro, a position he occupied until March 1975.  During this period of time he was elected, in February 1972, President of the Board of the Directors of Prensa Española, S.A., as well as President of the Executive Commission of the company.  He was the first president in Spain of the International Press Institute (IPI).

Between 1966 in 1969 he was a member of a Private Council and of the Political Council of Mr. Juan de Borbon, Count of Barcelona and, in June 1977, he was appointed a Royal Senator in the Constituting Houses [1977-1979].  In October 1977 he took charge of ABC Newspaper and he was its head until January 1983 when the board of directors all Prensa Española and its board of founders appointed him President-Publisher of Prensa Española, S.A.

In May 1993 he was one of those who signed the Madrid Declaration in Defence of the Freedom of Expression.  In September 1998 he announced his retirement from the positions of President and Publisher all of Prensa Española.  His daughter Catalina took over from him as publisher and his nephew Nemesio Fernández-Cuesta y Luca de Tena took over as President. Guillermo Luca de Tena was then named President of Honour of Prensa Española and President of the Board all of Founders of Prensa Española.

He was awarded the “Carabela de Plata” Prize in February 1980 by the Iber-American Association of journalist's.  In January 1999 and the Madrid Press Association also awarded him with the “Marceliano Santamaría” Prize. He is the author of the book entitled “El papel de la prensa en la consolidación de la Democracia” [The Role of the Press in the Consolidation of Democracy] (1980).

He is a member of the patronage all of the Reales Alcázares of Seville and the Prince of Asturias Foundation.  He is married to Soledad Garcia-Conde Tartiere has two daughters: Catalina and Soledad, both of whom are vice presidents of ABC newspaper S. L. and members of the board of directors all of Grupo Correo-Prensa Española.