Freedom to Read Foundation Honors Free Expression Champions Skip Dye and Owen Wolfe

June 5, 2025
Chicago, IL

Freedom to Read Foundation Honors Free Expression Champions Skip Dye and Owen Wolfe

The Freedom to Read Foundation (FTRF) is excited to announce that its 2025 Roll of Honor Award will be given to two champions of free expression, Skip Dye and Owen Wolfe.  The Roll of Honor Award recognizes their ongoing dedication to defending library users’ First Amendment rights and freedom to read through advocacy and litigation in the courts.

Skip Dye, Senior Vice President of Library Sales and Digital Strategy at Penguin Random House, is a lifelong fan of libraries and an advocate for the freedom to read.  He contributes to the mission of the Foundation on an ongoing basis through his positive engagement as a committee member, his dedication as an enthusiastic presenter, as a tireless and vocal intellectual freedom advocate, and as a champion of the organization’s fundraising efforts.

Skip is the Chair of the PRH Intellectual Freedom Task Force and in 2025 the Task Force organized the Banned on the Run 5K fundraising initiative. This event raised significant financial support for the Foundation’s fight against censorship. Skip and his team also collaborated with the FTRF Krug Fund Education Committee to facilitate the creation of a First Amendment poster. This poster promotes First Amendment education in schools and libraries nationwide, raising awareness of the Foundation and its initiatives.

Skip consistently emphasizes that his achievements are a result of collective effort. He acknowledges that true success lies in the power and strength of individuals working together towards a common objective. He expresses gratitude to his colleagues on the Penguin Random House Intellectual Freedom Task Force for their support. Moreover, he values the support of Penguin Random House as he seeks to adhere to the first Bertelsmann Creativity Principle—empower freedom of expression for all individuals.

Owen Wolfe’s pro bono legal work on behalf of the Freedom to Read Foundation’s First Amendment litigation has been central to FTRF’s fight against censorship. In the past year, he has drafted an important amicus brief for FTRF in the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals in a legal challenge to an Iowa statute that would have resulted in the removal of hundreds of books from school libraries.  He also drafted an amicus brief in an Alabama case challenging a library policy that requires viewpoint discrimination in both removal of materials and acquisition policies for collection development. He has recently agreed to work on another case with the Foundation.

Books have always been a part of Owen’s life, and he has been interested in intellectual freedom almost as long. When a colleague was on a panel with FTRF Executive Director Deborah Caldwell-Stone, Owen expressed his interest in doing this work.

Owen is a co-lead for the Seyfarth appellate group and has worked on cases with clients ranging from individuals to large corporations at federal, state court trial, and the appellate court levels.  We thank Owen’s colleagues at Seyfarth Shaw for their commitment to intellectual freedom and for their support of Owen’s work for the Foundation.

Wolfe and Dye will be honored at the Opening General Session of the 2025 American Library Association (ALA) Annual Conference on Friday, June 27, at 4 p.m. and later that evening at the Intellectual Freedom Awards Reception. The reception begins at 7:30 p.m. in Salon E at the Philadelphia Marriott and registered ALA Annual Conference attendees are welcome. Donations supporting the Merritt Fund will be collected during the reception, which will feature a keynote speaker, light appetizers, and a cash bar.

The Freedom to Read Foundation’s Roll of Honor was established in 1987 to recognize and honor individuals who have contributed substantially to the foundation through adherence to its principles and/or substantial monetary support, and both Skip and Owen embody the values of, and support the Foundation through their efforts.

The Freedom to Read Foundation is a non-profit legal and educational organization dedicated to protecting and defending each person’s First Amendment right to read. Since 1969, FTRF trustees, staff, and members have worked to protect First Amendment rights through education, litigation, and advocacy. Visit Freedom to Read Foundation (ftrf.org) or contact ftrf@ala.org to learn more.