he Behandlung!

PRSRT STD
ECRWSS
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
MAILED FROM
ZIP CODE 76048
PERMIT NO. 9
EST
EST.. 1926
Der
HERAUSGEBER
Official Publication of the West Texas Press Association
www.wtpa.org
August, 2008
Fredericksburg...Where we received
:
*
Die konigliche Behandlung!
*See Page 12
Page Two
July 17-19, 2008, Fredericksburg, TX
Thanks For
Your Help!
Embarq
Hood Count
y Ne
ws
County
News
Clarendon Enterprise
Cla
y Count
y LLeade
eade
Clay
County
eaderr
Dublin Citizen
adio-P
os
Frede
ricksbur
g SStanda
tanda
adio-Pos
ostt
edericksbur
ricksburg
tandarrd R
Radio-P
Gatesville Messenger
Hill Countr
y Comm
unit
y Pr
ess
Country
Communit
unity
Press
Lames
a Pr
ess-R
epor
Lamesa
Press-R
ess-Repor
eportter
Levelland Ne
ws-Pr
ess
News-Pr
ws-Press
Perr
yt
on He
rryt
yton
Herr ald
South Plains Printing
Vernon Dail
yR
ecor
d
Daily
Recor
ecord
--For being Better Newspaper
Contest sponsors
Gr
aham Ne
wspape
rs, Inc.
Graham
Newspape
wspapers,
Texas Pr
ess Associat
ion
Press
Association
Konic
a-Minolta
onica-Minolta
Embarq
Oncor
AT&T
Atmos Ene
Enerrgy
American Consolidated Media
Hood Count
y Ne
ws
County
News
Metr
o Cr
eat
iv
e Gr
aphics
Metro
Creat
eativ
ive
Graphics
Ame
ric
an Pr
of
ile
Americ
rican
Prof
ofile
Gatesville Messenger
Frede
ricksbur
g SStanda
tanda
adio-P
os
edericksbur
ricksburg
tandarrd R
Radio-P
adio-Pos
ostt
Wise Count
y Messeng
er
County
Messenge
Kerr
ville Dail
y Times
rrville
Daily
Lampas
as Dispatch-R
ecor
d
Lampasas
Dispatch-Recor
ecord
Sn
yde
y Ne
ws
Sny
derr Dail
Daily
News
Lames
a Pr
ess-R
epor
Lamesa
Press-R
ess-Repor
eportter
Br
ownf
ield Ne
ws
Bro
wnfield
News
Seminole Sentinel
Arr
owhead Bank
Arro
JPMorgan Chase Bank
Securit
y SStat
tat
e Bank
Security
tate
HCSB-Fredericksburg
--For being convention sponsors
Hood Count
y Ne
ws
County
News
--For printing, labeling and mailing The Publisher
Cathy Collier
Kevin Hamilt
on
Hamilton
Rog
er Es
tla
ck
oge
Estla
tlack
Melissa Perner
Robe
oberr t Burns
Bob Brincef
ield
Brincefield
Mac McKinnon
Ma
y
Marr y Dudle
Dudley
Bob Dillard
Sa
anden Be
Sarra V
Vanden
Berrge
J.L. Mankin
Kim Jung
--For providing articles and photographs for The Publisher
Robe
oberr t Burns
Don Houston
--For assisting with the golf tournament
Robe
oberr t Burns
--For making the live auction such
a rousing success
..
Tagungsuberblick
(Convention overview)
‘08 convention had it all
From stories that have grabbed international headlines to laugh-out-loud wisdom from a former TV
newswoman, publishers and editors from throughout
the region were both informed and entertained at the
78th Annual West Texas Press Association summer
convention in Fredericksburg July 17-19.
Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott spoke briefly
at the convention Friday morning, making the trip from
Austin to address conventioneers on topics like open
records issues.
While Abbott did not directly address questions
about issues surrounding the Fundamentalist Latter Day
Saints compound in Eldorado, information on the spring
raid came from Schleicher County Sheriff David Doran
who spoke on Saturday morning along with Eldorado
Success publisher Randy Mankin.
A two-hour session on newspaper design trends
opened Friday morning activities. Kevin Dilley of Creative Circle Media Consulting in Austin showed his audience examples of “the good, the bad and the ugly”
in a variety of current national publications in a style
that kept his audience laughing.
The convention opened with a golf tournament
sponsored by EMBARQ and chaired by Robert Burns at
Lady Bird Johnson Municipal Park. Awards for the winners--and losers--were presented Thursday night at
the opening reception.
That event was held at the National Museum of
the Pacific War on Fredericksburg’s Main Street.
Guests arrived through the garden area and were
welcomed in the museum’s courtyard where the Bill
Smallwood Band entertained with country swing
music during the reception.
The event then moved to the Nimitz Ballroom
where a dinner was served. Throughout the evening,
WTPA members were free to browse through the
museum as well as visit with friends from throughout
the WTPA area. A video presentation on the museum
was presented and guests received a pass to use for a
return visit.
Friday morning opened with a welcome from
Fredericksburg Mayor Jeryl Hoover.
The convention’s annual silent auction also opened
and the bidding began on items brought by members.
After Dilley’s session and Attorney General Abbott’s
talk, a lunch followed at the Inn on Baron’s Creek Walch
Haus Conference Center sponsored by AEP Texas.
Suzie Humphries, a Fredericksburg-based speaker
who travels nationwide, talked to the luncheon audience about depression in a style that kept the group
laughing. Using the skills that made her a successful
newswoman and television personality in the Dallas
area, she kept the audience’s attention as she brought
home her points.
WTPA members were free to explore
Fredericksburg Friday afternoon before reconvening at
Fredericksburg Brewery for the president’s reception
sponsored by the Hood County News and American
Consolidated Media (Brownwood Bulletin and
Stephenville Empire-Tribune). Dinner was sponsored
by Graham Newspapers.
After a German-style dinner, the Harold Hudson and
Dewane Kelly awards were presented.
Lynn Brisendine of Brownfield, 2007 recipient, presented the Harold Hudson Award to Randy Mankin, publisher of the newspapers in Eldorado and Big Lake.
Jerry Tidwell of Granbury, 2007 recipient of the
Dewane Kelly “Friend of the Newspaper” Award, made
the presentation to Marshall Day of Gatesville.
The group then headed to the Rockbox Theater for
an evening of musical entertainment followed by a reception hosted by WTPA President Bob Brincefield.
Saturday’s early risers visited the silent auction which
wrapped up shortly before the awards brunch.
Mankin and Sheriff David Doran of Schleicher County
talked about the impact the FLDS compound and the
subsequent raid by the state has had on the community. Doran showed photos of the compound as
it was being constructed
and the raid that removed children from the
community earlier this
year.
Brincefield chaired a
general membership
meeting after the session.
Cathy Collier of the
Fredericksburg StandardRadio Post is taking over
duties as WTPA president
for 2008-09 with Melissa
Perner of the Ozona
Stockman as first vice
CA
THY CCO
OLLIER
CATHY
president and convention
...assumes WTPA
chairman and Mac
McKinnon of the Dublin
Herald as second vice
president. Bob Brincefield of The Brownwood Bulletin
will be chairman of the board and Mary Dudley of The
Perryton Herald is secretary-treasurer.
Hold-over directors are Rochelle Stidham of the
Stephenville Empire-Tribune, Kevin Hamilton of the Iowa
Park Leader, Don Ingram of the Andrews County News
and Lisa Davis of the Wise County Messenger in Decatur.
New directors are Mark Engebretson of the Lake
Country Sun in Graford, Carolyn Anderson of the Texas
Mohair Weekly in Rocksprings, Derek Tidwell of the Hood
County News in Granbury and Robert Burns of Embarq
in Stephenville.
Results of the Better Newspaper Contest were announced and Perner announced San Angelo as the convention site for 2009.
Prize drawings were held for two round-trip Southwest Airline tickets and for stays at Prude Ranch and
the Limpia Hotel in Fort Davis or Paisano Hotel in Marfa.
The airline tickets were won by Joe Thompson of
Granbury. Diane Skiles of Lamesa won the Prude Ranch
stay. The Limpia/Paisano Hotel two-night package went
to Carol Lee Robinson of Graham.
July 17-19, 2008, Fredericksburg, TX
Page Three
Um den Tisch
(Around the table)
Computer-to-plate, classified schemes, legal advertising
spotlighted in Saturday publishers’ round table discussion
Publishers were reminded at
the WTPA summer convention, as
if they had any doubts, that state
of the art in newspaper technology continues to be a moving target.
In small printing plants
around west Texas, printers have
f inally got ten most of their
weekly newspapers to start paginating their newspapers and to
send the pages digitally to the
press.
Now the press operators are
being told that the image setters
that a decade earlier raised the
quality bar may become difficult
to keep in operation. Apparently,
spare parts for the older model
equipment are in short supply
and the manufacturers are not
interested in continuing to make
them.
At the Saturday morning publishers’ roundtable discussion,
Joe Thompson and Rick Craig,
both from the Hood County News,
led a discussion on computer-toplate technology. Two of the driving forces for HCN to make the
switch to CTP were the decreasing availability of film and replacement parts for the older image setters that most newspapers
have.
Perhaps, but not part of the
original decision-making equation, another consideration for the
move is the spiraling cost of
newsprint.
Thompson said with their CTP
system, inks set up real fast, allowing pressroom personnel to
start getting “keeper” copies a lot
quicker. He said in their shop they
are seeing about a 3 percent reduction in start-up waste.
They are also using less ink
and water and running lower levels on their press than ever before.
Craig added that because the
process reduces one generation
they are getting a better dot and
higher quality color and deeper,
more solid blacks with less ink.
The costs are coming down for
both the thermal and violet CTP
systems, but they remain a sizable capital investment.
Thompson said the cost of
plates is higher and they are not
seeing a savings in materials, but
they have been able to reduce
their labor costs by one press position.
Several other questions were
raised during the roundtable.
One seemed to be universal,
and that is the increase in bogus
classified ad schemes. Many involve pets, one in particular that
is making the rounds centers on
a Telephone Text (TTY System)
whereby someone is claiming to
be deaf and trying to place ads
with a stolen credit card.
The fight for legal advertising
in local community newspapers
was another topic discussed. In
the oil patch of west Texas some
legal advertising for oil and gas
leases is being placed only in the
metropolitan newspaper (notably
Midland) and not with the local
newspapers of record.
In many cases the metro paper does not have any distribution
in the county, let alone being the
newspaper of general circulation
in the county.
Schw
eigs
ame A
ukt
ion
Schweigs
eigsame
Aukt
uktion
(Silent auction)
Bidders fork over $1,615
The West Texas Press Association’s
annual silent auction, benefiting the Bob
Craig Memorial Scholarship Fund, raised
$1,615 this year.
A new twist on the fundraiser was a
live auction Friday evening, with five
items up for sale by auc tioneer
extraordinare Robert Burns, bringing in
$575. Burns even sold a piece of paper to
Decatur’s Mark Jordan for $65.
The top selling items were in the live
auction, including a unique wood stool,
donated by The Gatesville Messenger, and
bought by Bob Dillard of the Dillard Newspapers. The second highest item was a
handmade Hill Country pottery platter,
Mac McKinnon of the Dublin Herald chows
down on some great Fredericksburg grub
donated by American Profile, which went
to high bidder Kathy Mankin of Eldorado
for $130.
In all, over 30 items were donated by
members for the auction. Among the
goods up for bid were the ever popular
Dublin Dr Pepper, gift sets and cases,
handmade Hill Country pottery, golf balls,
food and wine gift baskets, bath sets,
picture frames, candles, wrought iron
decorative crosses, James Avery earrings,
an air compressor, a desktop dartboard,
a Possum Kingdom throw, T-shirts and
mug sets, an iron bathroom stand and a
ceramic cowboy boot bathroom brush
holder.
Page Four
July 17-19, 2008, Fredericksburg, TX
Seit der Ankunf t von sekte...
(Since sect’s arrival...)
Eldorado has ‘never been the same’
What does the local newspaper do when a story of international
interest comes to light locally?
That was the topic of a two-hour dialogue at the West Texas Press
Association annual convention in Fredericksburg by Randy Mankin,
publisher of the Edorado Success and Big Lake Wildcat, as well as his
wife, Kathy and son. J.L. Mankin.
Also on hand was Schleicher County Sheriff David
Doran, a long-time friend and neighbor of the
Mankins.
The story revolves around the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter
Day Saints (FLDS), a polygamous sect of
the mainstream Mormon Church.
Members of the FLDS came to West
Texas from Hillsdale, Utah and Colorado City, Arizona--actually a single
town that straddles the Utah/Arizona line in a remote area north
of the Grand Canyon.
It all started when Mankin got
Schleiche
y
Schleicherr Count
County
a call at home on a Monday
Sheriff
evening, March 15, 2004.
DA
VID
DOR
AN
DAVID
DORAN
He was told by a woman who
identified herself as Flora Jessop,
who was an anti-polygamist activist, that the FLDS had purchased a
large ranch near Eldorado in Schleicher
County.
The group had purchased what had
been the Red Cheek Ranch, whose owner
had died. The community had been told the
ranch would be turned into a hunting retreat, a
story that made perfect sense, since Schleicher County
is in the heart of deer country.
After a lengthy conversation with Jessop, who told horror stories
about the Mormon sect, Mankin got off the phone and told his wife
about the call. She proceeded to their office to do research on the
Internet and found the owner was David Allred of Utah, who was part
of the Mormon sect.
That night with their worst suspicions confirmed, they phoned their
friend and neighbor, the sheriff, who came to their home to hear what
they had learned.
Doran started his own investigation and found out everything they
had been told was true but they could no longer count on Jessop as it
was discovered she had an ax to grind.
Doran traveled to Arizona and Utah and found out more about the
group. He had an inside track because members of the sect served as
certified policemen for Colorado City and Hillsdale.
The Mankins continued their research, also. Less than two weeks
after getting the phone tip, they put The Success out a day early in
order to break the story ahead of an army of TV reporters who were
due in town the next day. The Success, with its print edition, email EDelivery edition, and its website, have been keeping their town and
county informed about the group ever since.
And as the headline says, “Eldorado has never been the same since
that time.”
Since that time, Mankin has kept a close eye on what has been
going on. He watched and obtained aerial photos of a large temple
being built.
Those living at what was called the Yearning For Zion (YFZ) Ranch
did business in town and paid cash, even for legal notices
they had to run in the newspaper. Those legal notices had to do with establishment of a water
treatment plant and sewer treatment operation.
They also had a lot of equipment at
the ranch and there were reports of a
lot of lights on all night, every night.
The sheriff surmised that the
whole operation was funded as a
mission by the main body of the
group in Arizona and Utah. He and
a Texas Ranger went out to the
ranch and met with the leadership
in a very cordial meeting and told
them they were free to practice
their religion as long as they abided
by the laws of the state of Texas.
They were told by the sheriff that
he was aware of their beliefs and he
advised them that bigamy and underage marriages were against the law in
Texas. The group has a long history of both
in Utah and Arizona.
Doran went out to the ranch with the tax
assessor as new buildings were built and helped
measure for taxation. Doran said he was not aware of
any children around although the complex was becoming very
large with 30,000 square-foot, three story homes being built, a dairy,
poultry operation and many farming type operations as the complex
was working on becoming self-sufficient.
The appraised value of the ranch is more than $22 million this year
with over $8 million of that attributable to a massive white limestone
temple. The group has yet to claim a religious tax exemption for the
temple or any other part of the ranch.
Last year, representatives of the YFZ Ranch paid almost a half million dollars in property taxes, all in cash.
From all indications, the sect earns money by becoming legitimate
corporations, with engineers and contractors working in their employ.
They now have ranches in South Dakota and Colorado and it appears
they have started an operation in Lockney.
They have a quarry on the ranch and every stone in the huge temple
was cut out of that quarry.
Mankin ran regular updates in his paper on the property which
alienated one local businessman who sold a lot of fuel to the ranch.
The fuel was transferred to rigs that belonged to the ranch at the gate.
The ranch had several lookout posts as well as a long trail to the
CONTINUED NEXT PPA
AGE...See Eldor
ado
Eldorado
July 17-19, 2008, Fredericksburg, TX
Page Five
Eldor
ado...continued from previous page
Eldorado...
main electronic gate to the compound.
The national media became involved two years ago when the search
was on for Warren Jeffs on charges of sexual assault of a child.
The media descended on Eldorado at that time and Mankin was
interviewed by a wide variety of TV, radio and newspapers from
throughout the world. He noted there is a lot of interest in polygamy in
the Muslim world.
Then in April of this year and continuing until now, the interest
exploded.
Almost everyone has heard about the infamous call from a teenage girl who said she was raped by her husband and she was underage. That phone call turned out to be a subterfuge but what was not
known was there was more than one call for help from the ranch.
The State of Texas initiated action through the sheriff and they began to plan a raid to rescue any girls in question. They had no idea
how many children would ultimately be involved.
Sheriff Doran noted it was difficult keeping all these elaborate plans
for a raid secret from Randy Mankin since the newspaperman knows
everyone in Eldorado and has sources throughout Schleicher County.
On the night of the raid, Mankin got a call from the local Fire Chief
who asked if there was any reason for an armored personnel carrier
being in the county. He also reported seeing a lot of activity at an
abandoned Air Force radar installation north of the YFZ Ranch. The
man also said he suspected something might be going on at the YFZ
Ranch.
Mankin told the fire chief he wasn’t aware of an operation but promised to check it out.
When he called the sheriff’s office Mankin connected with the only
dispatcher who hadn’t been cautioned about not talking. When asked
if there was anything going on at the YFZ Ranch, the dispatcher told
Mankin that “there’s a helluva lot going on.”
At that point the phone was taken away from the dispatcher and a
woman who identified herself as Tela Mange came on the line.
Mankin knew Mange to be the public information officer for the
Texas Department of Public Safety. He also knew that if Mange was
answering the phone at the Schleicher County Sheriff’s office that something big had to be going down at the YFZ Ranch.
The roads leading to the YFZ Ranch were blocked so Mankin went
to the Sheriff’s office where he met with Tela Mange and Marleigh
Meisner, the public information officer for Texas Child Protective Services.
At that point, Mankin went to his office and broke the news on the
Internet that a police raid on the YFZ Ranch was underway. Several
national media outlets, which by now had learned to watch The Success’ website, picked up the story almost immediately. By the next
morning, print journalists, as well as radio and TV reporters from across
the country were pouring into town. Two days later there were 18 satellite trucks and dozens if not hundreds of reporters swarming all over
Eldorado.
Since the raid occurred on a Thursday night, and it would be another week before The Success went to press again, Mankin turned to
his website to keep the world up to date as the raid dragged on for
several days.
The sheriff was intent that this raid was not going to be another
Waco and he stayed on top of the situation and obtained cooperation
from leadership of the ranch as they entered the gates and began the
search. He said he didn’t want to go in hard and wanted to stay low
key. It worked out that way.
Those on the ranch began to systematically move their children
from building to building and room to room, intent on avoiding CPS
officials. In their search, Doran said they found very disturbing evidence,
particularly on the fourth floor of the Temple.
Eldorado Success
Publisher
Rand
y Mankin
andy
has seen first-hand
the results of
international press
presence on a
small community
It took time to round up everyone
and Doran said more resources
had to be called on from
Eldorado, including busses to transpor t the
women and children.
Eldorado citizens responded like you would
expect West Texans to do.
In the early stages, Mankin had estimates of more than 150 children being found but the state was only saying there were little more
than 50. National media was challenging him on his reports.
But if you know Randy Mankin, you know he gets it right and he
didn’t care about inpressing the national media.
A short time later, a press conference was called and it was reported more than 200 children had been rounded up, vindicating
Mankin’s report. Eventually there were 463 children rounded up.
As the national media swarmed Eldorado, satellite trucks were set
up everywhere. Every continent was represented except for Antarctica. Mankin explains that penguins apparently don’t care much about
polygamy.
He noted that most of the TV people are particularly obnoxious
with one of the nicest and best reporters being Bill Hanna of the Fort
Worth Star-Telegram.
ABC-TV attempted to keep Mankin from talking to other media by
hiring him as a “producer” but he wouldn’t do that. Mankin and his
office sold many pictures and did make enough money to buy a new
digital camera.
The FLDS sect is notoriously private. No one would talk.
Sheriff Doran noted that one man had 28 wives and there were
others who had various numbers of wives. There was little way of
confirming identity and most of the YFZ adults declined to cooperate
with officials. That’s the reason, Doran said, that District Judge Barbara
Walther ordered DNA samples from everyone involved.
There was a hospital on the ranch and medical staff that did all the
deliveries with no birth certificates so there was no way to have identification.
As women and children were removed from the ranch by CPS workers, a code of silence was enforced by the older wives. Once they were
removed from the equation, older children took over the role. Doran
noted that the children had been well coached with kids as young as 4
asking to speak with their attorney when questioned by CPS workers.
Thus far, the state had amassed a bill of $20+ million on the operation.
And, there is more work to do as the Texas Supreme Court has ordered
all children to be returned to their parents.
Meanwhile, a grand jury is meeting in Eldorado exploring the criminal side of the YFZ story. Both Mankin and Doran expect indictments
will be handed down.
The men also agree that the story is far from over.
For his work on this story and many, many others, Mankin received
WTPA’s prestigious Harold Hudson Memorial Award, named for famed
Perryton publisher Harold Hudson.
One thing is for sure, as the YFZ story continues to develop, the
readers of the Eldorado Success will continue to have the best information available.
Page Six
July 17-19, 2008, Fredericksburg, TX
Besserer Zeitungswet tkampf Resultier t
(Better Newspaper Contest Results)
Kerrville, Hood County, Fredericksburg,
Dan Malone, journalism instructor, and his fellow staff members and students at Tarleton
State University judged this year’s
West Texas Press Association’s
Better Newspaper Contest, under
the direction of Melissa Perner of
Ozona.
Perner was thrown into the
mix late in the association year,
but did herself and the association proud with her handling of
the contest.
Perner expressed her appreciation toWTPA secretary Mary
Dudley, president Bob Brincefield,
vice president Cathy Collier and
board member Rochelle Stidham.
EST. 1926
Sw
eeps
tak
es
Sweeps
eepstak
takes
Totals
Feature Writing Division D:
1. Hico News Review
2. Olney Enterprise
3. Albany News
EST. 1926
Division A:
1. Kerrville Daily Times, 625 points
2. Plainview Daily Herald, 475 points
3. Stephenville Empire Tribune, 425 points
Division B:
1. Hood County News, 800 points
2. Wise County Messenger, 725 points
3. Graham Leader, 475 points
Division C:
1. Fredericksburg Standard-Radio Post, 725 points
2. Canadian Record, 450 points
3. Clay County Leader, 350 points
Division D:
1. Hico News Review, 475 points
2. Eldorado Success, 375 points
3. Albany News, 325 points
2008 Bet
wspape
Bettt er Ne
Newspape
wspaperr
Contest Winners:
Column Writing Division B:
1. Graham Leader
2. Wise County Messenger
3. Quanah Tribune-Chief
HM Lamesa Press-Reporter
Editorial Writing Division C:
1. Canadian Record
2. Muleshoe Journal
3. Lake Country Sun
HM Fredericksburg Standard-Radio Post
Adv
er t ising Division B:
dve
1. Wise County Messenger
2. Hood County News
3. Graham Leader
HM Andrews County News
Column Writing Division C:
1. Canadian Record
2. Fredericksburg Standard-Radio Post
3. Dublin Citizen
HM Clay County Leader
Editorial Writing Division D:
1. Clarendon Enterprise
2. Eldorado Success
3. Albany News
HM The Ozona Stockman
Adv
er t ising Division C:
dve
1. Fredericksburg Standard-Radio Post
2. Canadian Record
3. Dublin Citizen
Column Writing Division D:
1. The Clarendon Enterprise
2. Hico News Review
3. Eldorado Success
Feature Writing Division A:
1. Stephenville Empire-Tribune
2. Vernon Daily Record
3. Roswell Daily Record
HM Brownwood Bulletin
Adv
er t ising Division D:
dve
1. Eldorado Success
2. Big Lake Wildcat
3. Hico News Review
Editorial Writing Division A:
1. Roswell Daily Record
2. Kerrville Daily Times
3. Vernon Daily Record
HM Brownwood Bulletin
Column Writing Division A:
1. Plainview Daily Herald
2. Kerrville Daily Times
3. Brownwood Bulletin
HM Stephenville Empire-Tribune
and Vernon Daily Record
Editorial Writing Division B:
1. Graham Leader
2. Hood County News
3. Breckenridge American
HM Wise County Messenger
Adv
er t ising Division A:
dve
1. Brownwood Bulletin
2. Plainview Daily Herald
3. Vernon Daily Record
HM Stephenville Empire-Tribune
Feature Writing Division B:
1. Wise County Messenger
2. Hood County News
3. Lampasas Dispatch
HM Graham Leader
Feature Writing Division C:
1. Canadian Record
2. Clay County Leader
3. Fredericksburg Standard-Radio Post
General Excellence Division A:
1. Kerrville Daily Times
2. Stephenville Empire-Tribune
3. Plainview Daily Herald
HM Roswell Daily Record
General Excellence Division B:
1. Hood County News
2. Lampasas Dispatch-Record
3. Wise County Messenger
General Excellence Division C:
1. Fredericksburg Standard-Radio Post
2. Hondo Anvil Herald
3. Dublin Citizen
HM Clay County Leader
General Excellence Division D:
1. The Albany News
2. Eldorado Success
3. Clarendon Enterprise
Ne
ws W
rit
ing Division A:
News
Writ
riting
1. Kerrville Daily Times
2. Plainview Daily Herald
3. Roswell Daily Record
Ne
ws W
rit
ing Division B:
News
Writ
riting
1. Wise County Messenger
2. Hood County News
3. Lampasas Dispatch Record
Ne
ws W
rit
ing Division C:
News
Writ
riting
1. Clay County Leader
2. Fredericksburg Standard-Radio Post
3. Hondo Anvil Herald
Ne
ws W
rit
ing Division D:
News
Writ
riting
1. The Ozona Stockman
2. Big Lake Wildcat
3. Hico News Review
HM Eldorado Success
Photography Division A:
1. Brownwood Bulletin
2. Roswell Daily Record
3. Vernon Daily Record
CONTINUED, NEXT PPA
AGE
July 17-19, 2008, Fredericksburg, TX
Page Seven
Besserer Zeitungswet tkampf Resultier t
(Better Newspaper Contest Results)
Hico capture sweepstakes honors
Photography Division B:
1. Lampasas Dispatch
2. Hood County News
3. Wise County Messenger
Photography Division C:
1. Lake Country Sun
2. Fredericksburg Standard-Radio Post
3. Hondo Anvil Herald
Photography Division D:
1. The Ozona Stockman
2. Eldorado Success
3. Big Lake Wildcat
Special Sec
Sectt ion Division A:
1. Stephenville Empire-Tribune
2. Kerrville Daily Times
3. Vernon Daily Record
HM Roswell Daily Record
Special Sec
Sectt ion Division B:
1. Wise County Messenger
2. Graham Leader
3. Hood County News
HM Lampasas Dispatch-Record
Sw
eeps
tak
es
Sweeps
eepstak
takes
winners
Pictured here are three
of the four sweepstakes
winners announced at
the annual convention
in July in Fredericksburg. Shown from left
to right are Rayanne
Schmid, of the Kerrville
Daily Times, the Division
A winner; Jerry Tidwell
of the Hood County
News in Granbury, the
Division B winner; and
Cathy Collier of the
Fredericks-burg Standard
Radio Post, the Division
C winner. Not in attendance was a representative of the Hico News
Review, the Division D
winner.
Special Sec
Sectt ion Division C:
1. Clay County Leader
2. Canadian Record
3. Dublin Citizen
HM Muleshoe Journal
Spor
Sportt s Division D:
1. Hico News Review
2. The Albany News
3. Olney Enterprise
HM The Ozona Stockman
Special Sec
Sectt ion Division D:
1. Big Lake Wildcat
2. Olney Enterprise
3. Texas Mohair Weekly
HM Hico News Review
Special Co
ver ag
e
Cov
age
Dailies/Semi-W
eeklies:
Dailies/Semi-Weeklies:
1. Brownwood Bulletin
2. Roswell Daily Record
3. Vernon Daily Record
Spor
Sportt s Division A:
1. Plainview Daily Herald
2. Stephenville Empire-Tribune
3. Kerrville Daily Times
HM Roswell Daily Record
Special Co
ver ag
e
Cov
age
Weeklies:
1. Fredericksburg Standard-Radio Post
2. The Ozona Stockman
3. Lake Country Sun
Journalis
he Y
ea
r:
Journalistt of tthe
Yea
ear:
Weekl
y
eekly
1. William Hoover,
Hondo Anvil Herald
2. Melissa Perner,
The Ozona Stockman
3. Cathy Collier,
Fredericksburg Standard-Radio Post
Journalis
he Y
ea
r:
Journalistt of tthe
Yea
ear:
Dailies
1. Alyson Chapman,
Kerrville Daily Times
2. Sara Vanden Berge,
Stephenville Empire-Tribune
3. Richard Jacques,
Roswell Daily Record
Phot
ogr
aphe
he Y
ea
r:
Photogr
ographe
apherr of tthe
Yea
ear:
Dailies
1. Mark Wilson,
Roswell Daily Record
2. Richard Porter,
Plainview Daily Herald
3. John Schmid,
Kerrville Daily Times
Spor
Sportt s Division B:
1. Hood County News
2. The Graham Leader
3. Andrews County News
HM Lampasas Dispatch Record
Spor
Sportt s Division C:
1. Fredericksburg Standard-Radio Post
2. Hondo Anvil Herald
3. Muleshoe Journal
HM Canadian Record
Journalis
he Y
ea
r:
Journalistt of tthe
Yea
ear:
Semi-W
eekl
y
Semi-Weekl
eekly
1. Denise Morris,
Hood County News
2. David Rupkalvis,
Graham Leader
3. Brian Knox,
Wise County Messenger
Phot
ogr
aphe
he Y
ea
r:
Photogr
ographe
apherr of tthe
Yea
ear:
Semi-W
eekl
y:
Semi-Weekl
eekly:
1. Joe Duty,
Wise County Messenger
2. Mary Vinson,
Hood County News
3. Gabe Wolf,
Lampasas Dispatch-Record
HM Mitch Word,
Levelland & Hockley County
News Press
Phot
ogr
aphe
he Y
ea
r:
Photogr
ographe
apherr of tthe
Yea
ear:
Weeklies
1. Lisa Treiber-Walter,
Fredericksburg Standard-Radio Post
2. Matt Kelton,
Clay County Leader
3. Donnie A. Lucas,
Albany News
HM Joe Hernandez,
The Ozona Stockman
EST
EST.. 1926
Page Eight
July 17-19, 2008, Fredericksburg, TX
Bedeut s amer Beitrag
(Significant contribution)
Mankin honored with Hudson Award
inside job in the winter and summer, and
Randy Mankin of Eldorado was prenothing to it!”
sented with the 2008 Harold Hudson MeHe and his wife purchased the Sucmorial Award July 18 at the Fredericksburg
cess in 1994, and it has since become an
Brewery, during the West Texas Press
award-winning newspaper. In 2005, they
Association’s summer convention.
bought the Big Lake Wildcat. In his comThe award is in memory of the late
munity, he has been a city administrator,
Harold Hudson, publisher of the Perryton
city council member and is a deacon in
Herald, a past president of the National
his church. His newspaper has also been
Newspaper Association and Texas Press
the recipient of the Business of the Year
Association, and prominent member of
from the local chamber.
WTPA.
As Brisendine related, “Our recipient
The award is presented to an indiis living proof that just because you are a
vidual who has significantly contributed
small town newspaper, it doesn’t mean
to the publishing industry and the West
the ‘big’ stories pass you by. In 2004, a
Texas Press Association.
friend brought him photos of a ‘hunting
In making the presentation, 2007 winner Lynn Brisendine of Brownfield began,
retreat’ outside of Eldorado, which
“Our recipient tonight has tangled with the
launched him and the Success into the nagovernor, fielded the national media and
tional spotlight. The weekly went to press
talked his way all over the world.”
a day early, with much trepidation, to
Born in Anson on April 15, 1955,
break the story on the Fundamentalist
Mankin grew up helping his mother with
Latter-day Saints compound of Warren
their large pig operation, while his dad
Jeffs, which quickly grew into a major
worked in the oil field. He played high
story.
school football, facing Governor Rick Perry,
“He and his wife were thrust into
from arch rival Paint Creek. After graduatthe national media spotlight, with CNN,
ing from high school at the age of 16,
the Dallas Morning News and reporters
Mankin attended Texas Tech, where he
around the world calling for information.
was a member of the award-winning deIn fact, if you google the Eldorado Success,
R AND
Y MANKIN
ANDY
bate team which traveled all over the
you come up with over a million hits.
...winner of 2008 Harold Hudson Award
world. A pre-law major, he changed to
While they covered, and continue to cover,
political science, graduating from Tech in
the breaking story, they also, as true com1979.
munity newspaper people, found plenty of space in the paper for local
After marrying his wife, Kathy, in March 1977 in Shallowater, he
news and events.”
owned a carpet clearning business before going back to the oilfield,
where he had worked during college. He was a driller and later a
The Mankins have two children. J.L. is following in the family busitool pusher, moving to Eldorado in 1979, and unknown to him at
ness, and is currently a senior journalism major at Angelo State Univerthat time, about to undergo a career change.
sity. He also works in the family’s print shop and is a photographer and
Mankin had written several political articles as Republican Party
sportswriter. He too is an award winner, taking first place in TPA’s Divichairman, and was approached by a local bank to buy the Eldorado
sion 9 News Photo category. Their daughter Sara is finishing her third
Success, which was less than stellar at that time. After thinking it
year in medical school to become a family practitioner, and will graduover, as his wife related, “He decided running a newspaper was an
ate in 2009 from Touro Medical School in Vallejo, CA.
Zuerst Zeitgeber
(First timers)
Each year, the West Texas Press Association welcomes several first time attendees at
the annual convention.
This year, the 21 first timers who attended
the convention in Fredericksburg were:
--Jan Blair and Dayna Hernandez, AEP Texas
--Rudy, Rosie, Rayna and Rylee Diaz, The
Andrews County News
--Joe Mark Horn, Atmos Energy
--Eric Morrow, Brownwood Bulletin
--Aaren and Amy Kidd, Elaina Estlack, The
Clarendon Enterprise
--Lori Herr, The Hood County News
--Desiree Young, The Ozona Stockman
--Ava and Georgia Marsh, Jack, Alison and
Hudson Leonard, The Perryton Herald
--Brian and Amanda Knox, Beverly Crisp,
The Wise County Messenger
July 17-19, 2008, Fredericksburg, TX
Page Nine
Bedankt sich
(Saying thanks)
Mankin expresses
his appreciation
(Harold Hudson Award recipient Randy Mankin expressed his gratitude for the award through his column, “Over the Back Fence,” which is
reprinted here.)
******
Those of you who know me well know that words seldom fail me, but
they did last Friday night when my colleagues in the West Texas Press
Association honored me with the Harold Hudson Memorial Award.
To say that I was unprepared for the moment is beyond understatement. I vaguely recall offering a thank you, but there is no way that I
could have properly conveyed my appreciation.
Unlike most, if not all, of the 16 prior recipients of the Harold Hudson
Memorial Award, I never knew the man for whom it is named, but I have
developed a keen appreciation for his reputation, and for his life’s work.
One of my greatest pleasures in the 14+ years in this business is getting to know Harold Hudson’s family. Jim Hudson and his sister Mary Dudley
follow in their father’s footsteps as they publish The Perryton Herald, a
twice weekly newspaper that serves as the voice of Ochiltree County. I
routinely see them and their mother Jane Hudson at WTPA meetings as
well as meetings of the Texas Press Association. Through them, I have
grown to appreciate the man Harold Hudson must have been.
I have also watched through the years as others I greatly admire received the same award and I have noted the reverence they attach to the
honor and to the name.
So, with all of that as a gauge, I found myself last Friday evening standing, staring down at a plaque bearing both my name and that of Harold
Hudson, and trying to comprehend how such a thing could be. I was also
wrestling with the knowledge that almost everyone in the room was
more deserving.
Before that moment, I had liked to tell myself that in another 10 or 15
years I might be considered for the high honor. Or, that my son, J.L., could
someday be chosen to receive the award.
So it was that I was totally unprepared. I forgot to thank my wife
Kathy, and my son J.L. or my daughter Sarah. I forgot to thank my friends
Skip Nichols and Bob Dillard who took me under their wing when I knew
nothing about running a newspaper. And, I forgot to offer thanks to God
for his grace and providence.
I lay awake most of that night puzzling over the vagaries of life and
vainly trying to comprehend the circumstances that must have conspired
on my behalf.
Then it hit me. The thing I should say when I don’t know what to say
is...Thank You. I should just say, thank you, then I should dedicate myself
to improving my skills and making my two newspapers as good as they
can possibly be.
I look at the list of prior recipients and I am humbled to be counted in
their company. Unlike most of them, I came to the newspaper business
late in life, and from a vastly different career. But, the 14 years I have spent
in this profession have been the most rewarding of my life. I only hope
the next 14 will be as much fun.
And, when the time finally comes, as it does to us all, I hope I get to
spend a few minutes in heaven visiting with Harold Hudson, or sitting
around a table with him and Speedy Nieman, Bob Hamilton and Mike
Werst, swapping tales and listening to how the business used to be. I’d
love it!
In the meantime, I’ll just say thank you. Thank you to those who
taught me this business, but most of all, thank you to the newspaper
readers everywhere who make it possible for folks like me to enjoy this
glorious profession.
A large crowd pays close attention to convention program
Entwurf neigt
(Design tips)
Austin expert has answers
It was one of those rare moments when everyone sat up straight
and paid attention.
Speaking to a room full of journalists, editors and publishers at the
West Texas Press Association’s Annual Conference held July 17-19 in
Fredericksburg, Kevin Dilley, with Creative Circle Media Consulting, gave
a presentation on ways to improve the overall look of a newspaper.
Dilley focused on three main points: getting back to basics; having
faith in your product and taking risks; and perhaps most importantly-not forgetting about the reader--something newspaper folks commonly do.
In their well-meaning attempts to show creativity and catch the
readers’ eye, Dilley said journalists and those responsible for a
newspaper’s design often lose the reader with confusing headlines,
jumbled writing and splashy layouts that makes reading a story difficult.
“Readers should never get a headache while reading the newspaper,” Dilley said.
In fact, Dilley said sometimes simplicity is best. Creatively using
white space, packaging features in easy-to-read formats, and the proper
use of color is important in creating a sleek and appealing product.
Likewise, well-cropped and thoughtfully placed photos are another
important aspect to creating great pages. Dilley suggests breaking up
gray, text-filled pages with “story-telling” photos.
And forget the idea that having more is best. Dilley said to avoid
running photos that are boring or repetitive. And whatever you do,
crop out the unimportant stuff. A well-shaped photo will allow the
reader to distinguish important details that might otherwise be missed.
It’s not often that a room full of newspaper folks from across the
region gather to share thoughts and ideas, which makes conferences
like the one held in Fredericksburg all the more meaningful.
And having the opportunity to hear someone like Kevin Dilley share
his knowledge? Well that’s invaluable.
Newspapers--and those who produce them--are better after having such an opportunity.
Dilley shared these Web sites commonly used for page design:
www.newsdesigner.com
www.newseum.org
www.newspagedesigner.com
www.snd.com
Also, check out the Newspaper Designer’s Handbook.
Page Ten
July 17-19, 2008, Fredericksburg, TX
SpaB auf dem Golfplatz
(Fun on the golf course)
Greg Shrader wins golf ttourne
ourne
ourneyy
Fredericksburg’s city-owned Lady Bird Johnson
Golf Course was the site of the 2008 West Texas
Press annual golf outing and convention. Tournament chairman Robert Burns said he was pleased
to find out that a convention was being held in
conjunction with the golf tournament. Robert said,
“This worked out great--we should plan a convention as part of the golf tournament each year.”
Lady Bird Johnson Golf Course was a great
venue for the outing. “It is one of the best municipal-owned courses that we have played. The fairways and green were in great shape,” Burns said.
“The citizens of Fredericksburg should be proud of
their course and the folks who maintain it.”
Scores for the outing ranged from a low of 74
to a high of 112, but no matter what the score
everyone had a good time.
Winning the tournament and posting a score
of two over par 74 was Greg Shrader from Kerrville.
Second place went to Joe Thompson from Granbury
with a 75, third place was won by Greg Blair from
San Angelo shooting a 77 (winning on a score card
playoff), fourth place went to John Hudson representing Plainview with a 77 (losing on a score card
playoff).
Everyone one the West Texas Press Board of
Golf tournament
winner Greg
Shrader of Kerrville
(back to camera)
could hardly
contain himself in
showing his
appreciation to
prize presenter
Robert Burns
Directors and members would like to thank Pat
Gear and Konica Minolta Graphic Imaging for again
this year being the tournament sponsor.
‘Freund von der Zeitung’
(Friend of the Newspaper)
Day honored with Dewane Kelly award
Marshall Day, publisher of The Gatesville Messenger, was named as the 2008 recipient of the
West Texas Press Association’s Dewane Kelly Memorial “Friend of the Newspaper” Award during
the WTPA’s annual summer convention July 18
in Fredericksburg.
The previous recipient, Jerry Tidwell, pre-
Ma
rshall Da
y
Marshall
Day
2008 recipient of Dewane Kelly Memorial
Award
sented the award, which is named for a man
who became a member of the WTPA family by
marriage. When Kelly, the name everyone knew
him by, married former WTPA secretary Barbara
Craig in March 1984, he quickly became an active and integral part of the association.
His personality and willingness to do whatever was needed without complaining became
the foundation for solid friendships with WTPA
members and their families. Following his death
in August 1999, this award was established to
honor a person who unselfishly demonstrates
concern and support for the betterment of community journalism through his or her involvement
in the WTPA.
The recipient may or may not be directly involved in the newspaper business. The award is
not necessarily presented every year.
Day started his newspaper career at the age
of 19 as a sports reporter for the Hereford Brand.
He later served as the publisher in Seminole and
in Edna before taking his current position in
Gatesville. Today he is best known as a great
husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather,
community and newspaper association leader,
and a great friend.
Day is a former president of the WTPA and
the Texas Press Association, and is the current
president of the North & East Texas Press Association. He is currently a director on the board
of the South Texas Press Association.
Few people take association responsibilities
more seriously than Marshall Day. His tenacity
and attention to detail are unmatched. His dedi-
cation and commitment are evident every day
of the week. His desire to serve the TPA, WTPA,
and other regionals is unending. His loyalty is evidenced in the fact that he is among the few past
presidents of TPA who didn’t tie the reins to the
hitching post, but stayed in the saddle of association leadership.
He is known as a tireless worker and as being
extremely organized. He arrives at work at 4:30
a.m. everyday. He operates with a small staff,
primarily because he does so much of the work
himself. He loves to send every employee at least
one memo over the weekend. The staff laughingly refers to these as “Marshall-Grams.”
Several years ago, Day volunteered to coordinate, compose, and paginate, the WTPA Publisher, the annual post-convention tabloid. His “I’ll
do it this year” role has somehow continued for
at least the past five years, always with a warm
and gracious smile. How do we spell “perpetuity?”
Marshall and Debbie have been married 17
wonderful years. They enjoy three sons, Marsh,
Perry, and Chris; four grandchildren, Kyra, Holton,
Ashlyn, Madeline and newly-arrived Journey.
Marshall’s hobbies are golf and reading, but
he doesn’t get to play much golf these days.
Past recipients of the Dewane Kelly Memorial “Friend of the Newspaper” Award are:
2007 Je
rr
y Tidw
ell
Jerr
rry
Tidwell
2006 Sandi Ba
ylis
Baylis
2004 Rick Craig
2003 Linda Caton
2002 Ba
rba
aig K
ell
y
Barba
rbarr a Cr
Craig
Kell
elly
2001 R
obe
Robe
oberr t Burns
July 17-19, 2008, Fredericksburg, TX
Page Eleven
Gene
taat
alt spricht
Generr als
alstaat
taatss anw
anwalt
(Attorney General speaks)
Greg Abbot t talks a
variet y of hot topics
Fighting for open government and backing for a federal shield law were
some of the topics discussed by Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott.
The state's legal leader spoke to members of the West Texas Press Association on the morning of July 18.
Abbott said that since the 2006 law requiring public officials to take training
in open government laws, 36,000 certificates have been issued and around
40,000 certificates have been issued for training on the open meetings act.
"It might be fun to call your local public officials and ask to see a copy of
their certificate. Something to do on a Friday afternoon," Abbott said.
The open records division is also working at a record pace, Abbott said.
In 2007, the division issued a record number 16,000 rulings, which means
the division is issuing 64 rulings a day.
Abbott said the division will surpass 16,000 in 2008.
The rulings are not only coming faster, but they are also being respected
more than ever before, Abbott said.
In 2007, challenges on open records rulings were less than .4 percent.
However, one area that Abbott and his staff are continuing to fight in open
government is the refusal of public pension funds to disclose salaries and benefits of their directors.
The district courts agreed with the attorney general, but the court of appeals overturned the ruling. The Texas Supreme Court has refused to take the
case.
Abbott said he is taking the issue to the governor, lieutenant governor and
speaker of the Texas house for the next legislative session.
"My office is troubled by these developments and that the court's decision
runs counter to the principles of transparency government," he said.
Abbott also spoke on his support for a federal shield law for reporters.
This year, the U.S. Congress is considering the issue. Abbott has written to
the U.S. Senate in support of the law that would allow reporters to protect
their sources without fear that the government would make them reveal the
identity of the source.
When asked if bloggers would be included in the law, Abbott said he felt
the addition of bloggers would complicate the bill.
"The issue is what a journalist is. All of you are journalists in this room; you
are a group of members that believe in certain rules and integrity of this business. However, we will have to find ways in the future to accommodate the
blogger community," he said.
In the next legislative session, Abbott said his office would be working on
better health care for children with efforts through the child support system.
Abbott said his office plans on proposing a mandated order that the parent helping to pay child support and health care for the child must add the
child to their employee-based health care, or purchase a health care plan through
the state.
Currently, parents paying child support often pay extra money to help with
the child's health care. Unfortunately, that money doesn't always go for health
care of the child, Abbott said.
Around 200,000 children are not covered by health care in Texas. Abbott
said that he feels that is a large enough number for an insurance company to
come in with a plan.
"This is a good economic solution for the taxpayer and for the parents to
take care of their children," Abbott said.
The April raid at the Eldorado YFZ Ranch of more than 460 children of the
Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints was also discussed.
Abbott said his office is moving as fast as possible and operating as quickly
as possible through the court system.
He said that child protective services may have been mistaken and hasty in
some areas, but that his office is making sure everything is done perfectly as
can be in accordance to the law.
Abbott ended his talk with his continuing efforts on fighting Internet crime.
"Parents today don't have a clue how to tell their kids to be safe on the
Internet. The predator on the Internet is aggressive and can pinpoint their
targets," he said. "If someone harms a child, they will be brought to justice."
Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott at the WTPA convention
Angelo S
tat
e tto
o pla
Stat
tate
playy host
TP
A con
to 2009 W
TPA
convvention
WTP
“Touching Tomorrow” is the motto for Angelo State University.
The West Texas Press Association will converge on the university located in
the heart of San Angelo, Texas for the 79th annual convention to be held July
16-18, 2009.
Incoming WTPA convention chairman Melissa Perner made the announcement Saturday in Fredericksburg and said the 2009 event will give the association a chance to learn new journalism techniques and tell college students
about community newspapers.
“Angelo State University has now become a part of the Texas Tech University System, which has allowed it the opportunity to expand its programs. I
thought this would be an opportunity for WTPA members to establish a relationship with the university and to use this convention as a recruiting tool for
our newspapers,” said Perner, who is also WTPA’s first vice president.
Tenative plans for the event include hosting the annual golf tournament at
the infamous Quicksand Golf Course. Opening in 1998, as the ninth hardest
course in Texas, Quicksand features championship greens, 419 tees, well-manicured fairways and challenging rough. The course is best known for its many
sand traps. Some 30 acres of bunkers dot the challenging course.
The opening night reception will take place at the ASU LeGrand Alumni and
Visitors Center. The center is owned and operated by the Angelo State Alumni
Association.
There are also plans for members to learn the latest in communications
and journalism technology, as well as plans for a round table discussion involving both members and ASU students and faculty.
The annual Better Newspaper Contest awards brunch will also take place,
along with tours of the Hummer House in Christoval and of the ASU campus.
“The campus is really beautiful and the university and the city of San Angelo
are ready to welcome WTPA. I hope everyone will come and I encourage members to spread the word to other newspapers who may not be members, or
who may not come to the conventions,” Perner said.
For more information on ASU, individuals can visit http://www.angelo.edu.
Page Twelve
July 17-19, 2008, Fredericksburg, TX
Depr
ession: W
erden Sie da
Depression:
We
darrein!
(Depression: Get into it!)
Speaker says get t ing f ired was a good thing
Getting fired was the best thing that ever happened to Suzie Humphries.
For years, Humphries spent her days in lizard shoes and silk dresses
thinking she was on top of the world. Then, her world changed and she
found herself broke, disappointed and high in the air doing traffic reports for
a Dallas radio station.
Humphries entertained members of the West Texas Press Association
as the July 18 luncheon speaker during the 78th annual convention in
Fredericksburg.
In 1974-1975, Humphries said she was on top of the world interviewing
famous people on television when she received notice that she was fired.
Her world changed, causing her to give up her “beautiful” apartment
and move in with a 70-year-old male friend.
Quickly, Humphries said she discovered a philosophy of depression: “if
you get depressed, get into it.”
“We women know how to be depressed, it’s hard for men,” she said.
Humphries said you have to admit you are depressed, verbalize it to
someone, tell your family and stop washing your hair and start crying.
“I mean really crying. If you need help, think of sad things. Death will get
you rolling every time,” she said. “When you’ve cried your last tear, get up
and go get some Mexican food.”
Humphries said that while the best definition of depression is anger
turned inward, the best cure for it is to forgive it.
Out of the blue Humphries said she received a phone call from a Dallas
radio station to be their traffic reporter. She took the job, having no idea
what a traffic reporter does.
On her first day, she climbed into the helicopter, received a quick lesson
on how to work her radio equipment and took off.
:
St ipendienempf
ang
er
ipendienempfang
ange
(Scholarship recipients)
Kit
os
a aaw
warded ann
ual
Kittt en, R
Ros
osa
annual
Bob Cr
aig Memorial Schola
rships
Craig
Scholarships
The West Texas Press Association announced the recipients of the
association’s two Bob Craig Memorial Scholarships during the annual summer convention.
Each student will receive a $2,000 scholarship, with funding shared
equally by WTPA and the Texas Press Association.
The recipient of the graduating high school senior scholarship is Holly
Kitten of Lubbock. A spring graduate of Lubbock Cooper High School, she
ranked third in her class of 129 students.
In high school, Kitten was a member of the school paper and annual
staffs, competed in UIL academic competition and was a member of the
National Honor Society. She plans to attend Texas Tech University.
Receiving the college student scholarship is Ismael Rosa of Stanton. A
student at Midland College, he is a journalism major with a business minor.
He has also worked on the staff of Midland College’s student newspaper, El
Paisano, as a writer and page editor.
Translation
from Page 1
eatment!
* The rrooyal trtreatment!
Humphries said she quickly learned that giving directions over the radio
was a bit tricky.
“Women operate on a different track. I don’t know what north and
south is,” she said.
Humphries said she also learned you can “get sick in the head” as a
traffic reporter.
“You start praying for a wreck. If there is no wreck then what do you
talk about?” she said.
When she finally found a wreck, she accidentally pressed the button
that sent her voice over the entire radio with the words “I found one.”
When asked by her station manager where it was, over the radio, her
reply was “across the street from this little brick house and a Texaco
service station. If you’re in it, you know where it is. If you’re not, you don’t
care.”
People then started calling into the radio station all morning. Humphries
said men were calling and stating “that’s my wife up there.”
On that day, Humphries’ new career as a traffic reporter took off. She
then met her husband Tom.
At 40 years of age, Humphries received a new shock, she found out she
was pregnant.
“I didn’t know how to be a mother. I gained a total of 56 pounds and
was sick 24 hours a day for nine months,” she said.
When her son Josh was born, “it” finally happened to Humphries.
“Things were different. I use to think things such as lizard shoes and silk
dresses were so important. Those didn’t matter. What was important was
that for the first time I was experiencing the joy of the responsibility of
another human being,” she said. “I became a mother at 40 years old and I
was growing up.”
In communities, Humphries said it’s the newspaper that makes things
happen. She said community newspapers give the positive side of life.
“That is important work. It’s not just a job, it’s a mission,” she said. “Getting fired is the best thing that happened to me career-wise, but I have
found that the good things are always out there. No one is in a better position to get people in a good mood than you all are in your communities. You
are the people that make it happen.”
Gr
oßa
e Pr
eiseg
ewinne
Großa
oßarr t ig
ige
Preiseg
eisege
winnerr
(Grand prize winners)
Robinson, Skiles, Thompson
claim top three in drawings
During the awards brunch Saturday morning, three grand prize winners were drawn from among the 120 people who pre-registered for
the convention.
This year’s winners were:
--Carol Lee Robinson...a weekend lodging, including one night at
the Hotel Olympia in Fort Davis and one night at the Hotel Paisano in
Marfa
--Diane Skiles...a weekend for four at Prude Ranch in Fort Davis
--Joe Thompson...two round trip tickets anywhere Southwest Airlines flies