Griff Singer’s expertise was invaluable to groups like Texas Press Association

Journalists throughout Texas and across the U.S. lost a mentor and cheerleader with the death March 23 of Griff Singer, retired UT professor who trained and encouraged generations of Daily Texan staff members and students.

He was 93.

Some of the many remembrances are from The Friends of the Daily Texan and UT Moody College of Communication.

Singer’s teaching skills were solidly grounded in professional experience, including years of reporting and editing with the Arlington Citizen-Journal and The Dallas Morning News in the 1950s and early 1960s among other posts.

Throughout his retirement, he remained active in the newspaper industry, still guiding former students and sharing his expertise in programs for press groups and volunteering with journalism organizations. 

In retirement, Singer was a tremendous asset to many journalism organizations, including Texas Press Association. He was a resource for community newspaper writers and editors - many of them former students. He also shared his expertise in sessions during TPA conventions and was a welcome visitor every year.

Two TPA past president shared their memories and appreciation of Griff:

“It is not possible to condense into a few sentences the impact that Griff Singer has had on the newspaper industry.

His contributions to good journalism, from academia to the real world, extend throughout Texas and beyond.

This is illustrated by his former students, several of whom are Pulitzer Prize winners and hundreds who are publishers, editors, reporters, cartoonists and contributors to regional, state and national publications. He was impactful in the classroom and in the newsroom. Even in retirement he maintained his sharp understanding of the changing media landscape.

I’m comforted by the fact that Griff was honored in life by the groups and people who meant the most to him: The Daily Texan, Friends of the Daily Texan, the Texas Association of Journalism Educators, the South Texas Press Association and the Texas Newspaper Foundation. Probably more.

Perhaps more important than the accolades were the friendships Griff maintained with his peers and former students. It is a friendship I cherished and will deeply miss. I mean, how many 70-somethings can say they call their 93-year-old former journalism professor for IT support? I’m sure I’m not alone.

Post college, Griff became a very dear friend, and I will miss him terribly.”

- Mary Judson, TPA past president

“I didn’t have the good fortune to study under Griff in college, but he was a longtime friend to the Cooke family and a mentor to me. He came over to Fredericksburg to work with our newsroom journalists and kept an eye on our editions, frequently emailing comments and needed critiques. I also appreciated Griff because even though he came from a metro paper background, he cared so much about community journalism and our smaller papers, frequently speaking at state and regional conventions. He leaves a great legacy.”

- Ken Cooke, TPA past president