Following a legacy of tough people

By Ken Cooke, TPA President

I look up at my great-grandfather’s portrait on my office wall every day. The portrait shows a stern-looking man — who actually had a wicked sense of humor — and is probably dated around 1920. I wonder what life was like for John Esten Cooke in his wool suit and round spectacles.

Being installed as president of the Texas Press Association is an honor, and I’m incredibly proud to represent the members I admire so much.

My great-grandfather was president of TPA back in 1920-1921, more than a century ago. His middle name was given to me by my parents, and I’m proud to carry on his TPA legacy, as well as the ones left by my grandfather, W.H. Cooke, my father, J.W. “Bill” Cooke, and siblings.

TPA has helped me grow as a journalist and publisher, and I’m so pleased to be able to give back to the association. Over the years, I’ve taken countless training courses sponsored by TPA or have done so with TPA financial assistance. Those classes dealt with news writing, photography, page design and many other facets of our industry.

Through TPA, I’ve had the chance to testify for and against bills that affect our industry at the state capitol. And I’ve enjoyed the camaraderie of fellow publishers and journalists from papers of all sizes around the state at our annual conventions and other events.

Just like in other industries, we lean on and learn from each other.

When starting a magazine, I looked to the best in our industry and picked their brains about what makes a successful product. Our staff learned a lot from my TPA predecessor Leonard Woolsey, publisher of the Galveston County Daily News, and his staff’s beautiful Coast Monthly when launching our quarterly Rock & Vine magazine.

I keep up with those who are stepping boldly into the digital transformation of our industry by offering great websites and news, like Bill Patterson of the Denton Record-Chronicle, while keeping traditional print subscribers satisfied with quality products.

And I’m constantly inspired by those in our industry who are doing the service-oriented community journalism that we all feel our readers and advertisers deserve: Pat Canty of the Odessa American, who let his city council know that open records violations would not go unchallenged on his watch; Randy Mankin of the Eldorado Success, who kept a cool head when the crazy came to that market; and Jim Bardwell of the Gladewater Mirror, who led his newspapers and TPA while dealing with a personal tragedy in the sudden loss of his wife Suzanne; as well as the entire staff at the Uvalde Leader-News, who showed bravery and tenacity through a horrible community tragedy.

I also appreciate the decades-long friendship and fierce competition of Richard Stone, now a consultant; ad sales expert Mark Henry; and Murray and Mary Judson, who own the Port Aransas South Jetty and have known me since I was a child.

In my office, I also have a portrait of my grandfather, who took over The Rockdale Reporter & Messenger from his father and steered it through the Great Depression. He had what are referred to today as side hustles, from servicing diner booth jukeboxes to hustling up print contracts that literally kept the business afloat.

And there’s a photo of my dad, who put out the paper in our small-but-growing town much by himself when my grandfather developed health issues and until he was able to hire help in the 1970s. He did this while raising four children with my amazing mother Peggy, who also helped at the paper by proofreading and catching more than a few typos each edition.

There’s ink in our bloodline, but I like to think I also inherited a work ethic and a faith that things will work out from both of them.

I also look around our office in Fredericksburg, which I came to in 2012, and see photos of the late Art Kowert, a contemporary of my grandfather’s, and Terry Collier, a longtime friend whom I still confide in regularly.

They all faced challenges. The advent of radio, television and social media were all the supposed death knell for newspapers. But we’re still here, providing important and entertaining information to our readers.

We’ve survived a global pandemic, political upheaval, paper supply shortages and more. Yet we still serve in this industry and the communities we love. We’re changing, adapting and doing our best.

Given our challenges and staying power, TPA could also stand for “Tough People Association.” No snowflakes here.

Two sayings come to mind. One social media friend put out a question asking, “What are your best four words of advice?” My friend Leonard Woolsey fired back, “Never ever, ever quit.” That stuck with me through the pandemic and recent challenges.

Another piece of advice came from longtime publisher of the Brenham Banner-Press Charles Moser when I was presenting an annual budget during the worst of the coronavirus to him and his son, Jim Moser of Moser Community Media. Charles told me, “Tough times don’t last. But tough people do.”

So let’s continue to boldly face the changes and challenges. I’m honored to serve TPA, an organization with 144 years of history and one that’s made up of tough people.

ken@fredericksburgstandard.com