The fourth annual awards event and gathering of Friends of The Daily Texan has been scheduled for Friday, Sept. 16.
The event will be held at The Texas Union and will begin with a reception at 6 p.m., followed by a dinner beginning at 7 p.m.
Look for registration info in early June.
“Part of the feedback from last year’s event mentioned more time to visit with attendees,” said John Reetz, president of Friends of The Daily Texan. “This year our group decided to move from a luncheon to an evening event to allow more time for Daily Texan alum and supporters to have that special time to visit.
“We have noticed since we began this event in 2013, that the annual gathering draws people “home to Austin” and ends up being a reunion for former staffers,” Reetz added. “We hope to build on that, and make it an opportunity to re-connect with The Texan, and the university.”
A key part of the dinner will be presentation of Friends of The Daily Texan Awards to nine honorees.
The winners will be announced next week, and include the categories of Hall of Fame, Rising Star and Griff Singer Award.
“We believe we have an excellent group of winners this year, reflecting different eras of quality journalism delivered by Texan exes,” Reetz said.
As in past years, this event is open to all who support The Daily Texan, and serves as a fund-raiser for Friends initiatives to assist The Texan.
Projects this year funded by the Friends include a scholarship for a Daily Texan staffer in memory of former adviser Michael Brick, funding of training classes, purchase of new camera equipment, donations directly to The Texan, and funding sending a Texan staffer to cover the Rio Olympics as part of a UT Journalism school initiative.
“Our group is 100 percent volunteer,” Reetz said, “and every dime we raise ends up supporting The Texan.”
Friends was formed in 2013 to support quality journalism and assist in helping build a sustainable financial structure for The Daily Texan.
“June will be a busy month – we will announce the winners of the Hall of Fame and continue preparations for the Sept. 16 event; we will begin registration for the event; and we will begin a new membership campaign to support The Texan,” Reetz added.