Fred Bonavita

Fred Bonavita, 70, died March 20, 2006, of a cerebral hemorrhage.

He was state editor of the San Antonio Express-News, retiring in 2000. Before coming to the Express-News in 1989, Bonavita worked for more than two decades as a reporter for the Houston Post in Austin and Washington.

Martha Brown

Martha Frances Morris Hand Brown, 83, died March 18, 2006.

Her career included writing for The Dallas Morning News and Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

She worked for the U.S. War Department interviewing and writing news releases about celebrities serving during the war, and later become the first woman staffer for Gannett National Service in Washington, D.C.

Robert Shelby Clay

Robert “Bob” Shelby Clay, 72, died in his sleep at his Dalhart home March 20, 2006.

Clay moved to Dalhart in 1989 to publish the Dalhart Daily Texan with wife Susan, who he married in 1983. Susan Clay remains as the sole publisher of the now triweekly Dalhart Texan.

Clay also served on the board of Panhandle Press Association. He served in the U.S. Navy from 1955-57 and Naval Reserve from 1957-61.

Bill Duncan

Bill Duncan, 80, died March 10, 2006.

Between 1961 and 1986, Duncan worked as a reporter, Sunday editor, news editor, city editor, executive city editor and managing editor for the Corpus Christi Caller-Times.

He also worked as a reporter and editor for the Wharton Journal, reporter for the San Antonio Express and editor for the El Campo Citizen.

Sammie Franklin

Sammie Franklin, 78, died March 20, 2006.

She was associate editor of the Pleasanton Express where she had worked for 59 years. She received TPA’s Golden 50 Award in 1997.

Franklin joined the Express in 1947, five years after contracting polio and losing full use of her legs and leaving her with limited use of her hands. She moved to Midland in March 1996, but continued to write stories for the Express.

She was a member of the National Women’s Press Association.

Thomas Jay Harris

Thomas Jay Harris, 87, died Feb. 26, 2006, in a Lubbock hospital.

Harris served as editor of the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal for more than 20 years in a career that spanned 53 years. He joined the newspaper as a sports writer while in college in 1938. He served as editor from 1972 until his retirement in 1994.

John Steven Hicks

John Steven Hicks, 38, died Feb. 24, 2006.

He was the sports editor of the Waxahachie Daily Light and the local sports community was in shock after his sudden death. The Lady Indians dedicated the remainder of their season to him.

During his tenure at the Daily Light, Hicks consistently ranked among the top three sports writers in the state for newspapers in his division, having earned more than a dozen awards for his excellence in journalism.