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Obituaries published in the September 2022 edition of the Texas Press Messenger.

PAUL BURKA
AUSTIN – Legendary Texas Monthly political editor Paul Burka died Aug. 15 at the age of 80.
Former senior executive editor Burka joined the staff of Texas Monthly in 1974, one year after the magazine’s founding. He led magazine’s political coverage for nearly 40 years and spearheaded its storied roundup of the Best and Worst Legislators each biennium.
He retired in 2017.
A lifelong Texan, Burka was born in Galveston on May 21, 1942. He graduated from Rice University with a bachelor’s degree in history before getting his law degree from the University of Texas at Austin School of Law.
While a student at UT, he met Sarah Rainey, who became his wife of 44 years.
He spent five years as an attorney with the Texas Legislature, where he served as counsel to the Senate Natural Resources Committee. He won the American Bar Association’s Silver Gavel Award in 1981.
Burka penned expansive profiles of Texas political figures such as former governors Ann Richards and John Connally. In 1985, he won a National Magazine Award for a two-part series about Clinton Manges, the controversial Texas oil tycoon. In 2006 he launched “BurkaBlog,” which became one of the magazine’s most popular digital features.
After retiring from Texas Monthly in 2015, he taught at the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin and at Texas State University in San Marcos.
His colleagues remembered him as a journalist who “knew intuitively what Texans wanted — and needed — to read” and as a great editor who reminded them their “primary obligation was not to the rich or the powerful or even our subjects, whoever they were, but to our readers.”
“He was relentless in his devotion to excellence,” said Bill Broyles, the first editor of the magazine. “He understood Texas and Texas politics better than anyone ever has. There won’t be anyone like him again because he was so even-handed and fair-thinking.”
In addition to his wife, Sarah, he is survived by three children, a sister and other relatives.
Memorial service was held Sept. 11 at the LBJ Library Auditorium in Austin.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Galveston historical Foundation, www.galvestonhistory.org, or the National Park Foundation, www.nationalparks.org.

CARY LEE GRIFFIN
FORNEY – Cary Lee Griffin, former owner of the Forney Messenger, died Aug. 2. He was 78.
He and Judy, his wife of 52 years, operated the Forney Messenger for 46 years.
A native of Glendale, California, Griffin attended the University of Missouri Journalism School and was initiated into the Delta Sigma Phi fraternity. He later graduated from UCLA with a bachelor of arts in English.
He met Judy Price while attending the University of Missouri and they married on Aug. 22, 1970 in Rockwall, Texas.
The Griffins moved to Forney in August 1972 and bought the Forney Messenger in October. Their first issue was printed on Oct. 15, 1972. Throughout the years, the Griffins covered the community and schools for the newspaper “Hoppin’ Around with Cary” was Griffin’s weekly editorial column, in which people could read about his thoughts on a variety of topics. Under their leadership, the Forney Messenger provided scholarships for graduating seniors and supported the Forney Education Foundation.
The Griffins retired Feb. 1, 2018. They sold the Forney Messenger after Griffin’s eyesight diminished and other health concerns made it difficult for them to continue their work. They missed working at the newspaper and regularly seeing people with whom they developed relationships over the years.
The Griffins loved to travel. Their membership in the National Newspaper Association gave them the opportunity to visit Cuba twice before most Americans were allowed to visit the country. They also traveled to Spain and other countries with NNA. They attended many newspaper conventions in cities throughout the United States. They were also members of the Texas Press Association.
Cary Griffin was active in the local community, especially with education and activities for children. For more than 25 years, he spent many hours volunteering with the Pre-K students at the local elementary schools. He volunteered for many years as a Girl Scout leader of the Forney Troop. 
He served as director of the Forney Education Foundation and was the all-community member representative for the Forney ISD District Education Improvement Council. He was a charter member of the Forney Lion’s Club. He was named Citizen of the Year in 1983. He and Judy were named Citizens of the Year in 2019. In 2019, they were named Lifetime Members of the Forney Chamber of Commerce, which they both as served as directors. They also were members of the Forney Preservation League. 
They were members of the First Presbyterian Church of Forney for about 10 years.
In addition to his wife, he is survived by a sister and many friends.
A celebration of life service was held Aug. 9 at the First Presbyterian Church in Forney.
Memorials may be made to Cure Glaucoma Foundation 10740 N. Central Expressway, Suite 300, Dallas, Texas 75231 or First Presbyterian Church of Forney, P.O. Box 98, Forney, Texas 75126.

GENE LENORE
SHERMAN – Award-winning journalist and broadcaster Gene Lenore, 85, of Sherman, died Aug. 17.
A native of Farmersville, Leonore held a journalism degree from East Texas State University, now Texas A&M Commerce. After service in the Army, he worked as a reporter and editor for Texas newspapers before entering television news as a writer and photographer at WFAA-TV in Dallas.
Over the course of his broadcasting career, Lenore worked as an assistant TV news director, on-air reporter, anchor and public affairs show host in Tucson, AZ, a newswriter for Voice of America and National Public Radio in Washington, D.C., and as an assignments editor, on-air reporter, and public affairs host at a TV station in Tyler.
He worked for a number of media outlets in the Sherman/Denison area, including KIKM Radio, the Denison Herald, KTEN-TV and KXII-TV, where he served a news director and anchor. 
In the late 1980s, he established a publishing company in Sherman that produced several local, regional and national publications. 
He created his own video production company in the late 1990s and produced several award-winning videos, including a Telly Award for a DVD produced for Sherman High School.
He is survived by his wife of 36 years, Kathleen, and two daughters, four grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
Memorial services were held Aug. 21 at Waldo Funeral Home in Sherman.

VINCE REEDY
VICTORIA – Vince Reedy, a former Victoria Advocate managing editor remembered for his kindness and leadership, died Aug. 5. He was 88.
A native of Wellsville, Kansas, Reedy’s family moved to San Antonio, where he grew up and earned a football scholarship to Trinity University.
He married Joyce JoAn Hurt in Wichita, Kansas, in 1962 and they moved to Victoria, where he began his 47-year career at the Victoria Advocate.
He started as a sportswriter and then became the chief of the copy/news desk. He also worked with the Goliad Advance-Guard.
In 1967 he became an assistant managing editor, a position he held until 1973 when he was named managing editor. In 1990, he was named associate editor, a position he held until he retired in 1999.
Though he retired from the day-to-day newspaper business, his association with the Advocate did not end. Shortly after his retirement, he began writing a weekly column titled “Time & Space” about people, places and things that he found interesting or that meant something special to him. In 2007, he wrote his final column and retired entirely from the newspaper business.
His colleagues and those he mentored in the Victoria Advocate remembered him for his kindness and encouragement. He remained close with many of his former coworkers.
Preceded in death by his wife, Joyce, he is survived by three children, 10 grandchildren, 15 great grandchildren and other relatives.
Funeral services were held Aug. 13 at Our Lady of Victory Cathedral in Victoria, with burial in Resurrection Cemetery.
Memorials may be made to Hospice of South Texas or the American Cancer Society.