Judsons retire with sale of Port Aransas South Jetty

Murray and Mary Judson were honored at an impromptu retirement party on New Year’s Eve, hosted by their daughter and son-in-law Libby and Tom Ryan.

PORT ARANSAS – With the sale of the Port Aransas South Jetty effective Jan. 1, Murray and Mary Judson celebrated their first New Year’s in retirement.

The sale was announced in September with an agreement to sell the newspaper to Kelli Hartig, the newspaper’s general manager, and Dan Parker, editor. Transfer of ownership was effective Jan. 1.

“It’s really difficult to say goodbye, but it also is rewarding to see the South Jetty carry on under local ownership and leadership,” Mary Judson wrote in her farewell column. “We had options, none of which met our criteria. We did not want to sell to a corporation with absentee owners. Local newspapers need local owners who are accountable to the community.

“Our criteria included owners who would ensure that the South Jetty continues to thrive; owners who would be a good fit with the community; and owners who would be a good fit for the staff. Kelli and Dan check all three boxes – and then some.

“Good journalism matters, and Kelli and Dan, with your support, will see that in Port Aransas – a microcosm of our country’s democracy – good journalism lives on.”

Both Mary and Murray Judson have more than 50 years in the newspaper business, 43 years of that with the South Jetty, which they purchased in 1981.

The South Jetty was launched in 1971 by 26-year-old Steve Frishman and a college student, Suzanna Reeder. Frishman bought out Reeder about a year later. In 1981, he sold the South Jetty to the Judsons, who at the time were running the Refugio County Press.

The Judsons eventually bought, then sold the County Press. They moved to Port Aransas in 1983 to take over operation of the South Jetty.

The Judsons have been active in TPA, the South Texas Press Association and the Texas Gulf Coast Press Association. They plan to continue their involvement in all three associations. 

Mary, who was initiated into the Texas Newspaper Hall of Fame in 2013, will continue to serve on the board of the Texas Newspaper Foundation. She is a past president of TPA, and both Mary and Murray are past presidents of STPA and TGCPA.