A picture and stories of Walter Cronkite attending a Texan party in the 1970s. A silent auction packed with journalistic treasures. A plethora of meetings with Texan staffers, UT journalism students and recent graduates.
These are a few of the highlights of the inaugural 2013 Alumni Weekend and Texan Hall of Fame celebration.
The Friends of The Daily Texan organization incorporated in June with a mission of promoting the long-term sustainability of the student newspaper. Since incorporation, a handful of dedicated volunteers have worked hard to put together this weekend. The idea was to simultaneously honor Texan alumni, hold a reunion for Texan alums to reconnect, while also supporting the ailing Daily Texan.
TEXAN HALL OF FAME AWARDS
A highlight of the weekend was the Texan Hall of Fame awards dinner at the Etter-Harbin Alumni Center, led by Master of Ceremonies Quin Mathews, who many of you may remember as a Dallas-area TV news anchor. Dinner attendees enjoyed a cocktail hour and silent auction at the beginning of the evening before moving inside for dinner. Attendees heard from Friends of The Daily Texan president Cliff Avery about the group’s mission and goals, and heard from FOTDT Secretary John Reetz about newspapers’ efforts to retain profitability. Current Texan editor Laura Wright spoke, urging Texan alumni to pay attention to the struggles of the Texan.
Most of the evening’s program focused on the induction 12 people int the newly-created Hall of Fame. Our “Legacy” class was our posthumous category and included Fritz Lanham, Helene Wilke McNaughton, Liz Carpenter, Lady Bird Johnson and Willie Morris. The dinner presentation included clips from their days at the Texan and photos that illustrated different parts of their lives – at the Texan and beyond. Every Legacy member had a family member or close friend in attendance to accept their award.
The 2013 class of Hall of Fame members included Karen Tumulty, Dick Elam, Karen Ellliott House, Ben Sargent and Bill Moyers. We learned about their accomplishments at the Texan, which for Karen Tumulty included a memorable effort to stuff the editor’s office floor-to-ceiling with newspapers. Karen Elliott House recalls how valuable the Texan was in her journalism career, giving her the experience to handle tough interviews after facing infamous University of Texas Board of Regents Chairman Frank Erwin. The 2013 class was remembered for journalistic accomplishments, from TIME magazine cover stories (Karen Tumulty) and books on Saudia Arabia (Karen Elliott House) to winning the Pulitzer Prize (Ben Sargent.) Tumulty, Sargent, and Elam were present to accept their awards.
The Rising Star award winner, Bryan Mealer, was on hand to accept his award. Bryan is a 1999 graduate of the University of Texas and covered the UT System while at the Texan. He’s had an incredible career as an editor for Esquire, later working as a reporter in Africa and has authored three books. Mealer now works for Texas Monthly while he writes a book about his hometown of Big Spring, Texas.
DAY OF MENTORSHIP
A few hours before the awards dinner, a group of 15 alumni met with Texan students, UT journalism students and recent graduates in the Daily Texan basement for one-on-one mentoring sessions. Over 35 students signed up for the chance to meet with journalism stars like Washington Post writer Karen Tumulty, legendary journalism professor Griff Singer, Texas Tribune managing editor Brandi Grissom, and Austin American-Statesman sports reporters Suzanne Halliburton and Danny Davis.
Students later said they thoroughly enjoyed the chance to meet with industry professionals. One student emailed to say “it was a great opportunity to sit down and meet with the industry’s best.” The mentors also said how much they enjoyed meeting with students.
LUNCH AT SCHOLZ’S AND THE TOUR OF THE BELO CENTER FOR NEW MEDIA
On Saturday, a group of about 15 alumni met at Scholz Garten for an informal lunch. There were Texan alums from the 1970s all the way to the early 2000s in attendance. Alumni swapped stories of Texan days and updated one another on the whereabouts of Texan staffers.
Afterward, most alumni traveled to the Belo Center for New Media, which houses the journalism school and is across the street from the old Communications building. The Belo Center was impressive, with beautiful furnishings and state-of-the-art equipment. Several alumni said they wished they could get their journalism degrees all over again. Journalism School Director Glenn Frankel also spoke to alumni, explaining the re-tooling of the undergraduate curriculum and taking questions from alumni.