Singer cited by Friends of Daily Texan

AUSTIN – Two new honors have been added to the portfolio of S. Griffin Singer, respected Texas journalist and beloved former UT journalism professor at the University of Texas at Austin.

At the recent Friends of The Daily Texan, Inc. annual Hall of Fame dinner, Singer was presented the first Friends of The Daily Texan Lifetime Achievement Award by the Friends group.

There were multiple reasons for Singer’s selection for the award: his outstanding career as a journalist, his journalism instruction and support to thousands of students at UT-Austin, his strong support for The Daily Texan student newspaper at UT, his continuing mentoring and support of student journalists even after they graduate, and his work with professional organizations and newspapers in Texas and nationally to help educate and support journalists.

In addition, Singer is a member of The Daily Texan Hall of Fame, sponsored by Friends of The Texan, is founding board member of the Friends group and one of the strongest supporters of the group’s effort.

In addition to the Lifetime Achievement Award, the Friends board of directors also announced that initial funding to fully endow a permanent scholarship to honor Singer has been reached. An initial donation of $25,000 came from Austin journalist Jo Clifton, a former Daily Texan staffer, and her mother Loretta Diggs Pendergraft. In addition, former Daily Texan staffer Joe Phillips has provided another $25,000 donation.

Those two donations guarantee the permanence of the scholarship, but the Friends group is still seeking additional donations to expand the  amount provided to a student in coming years, and also to add a runner-up winner.

Donations in continuing support and growth of the S. Griffin Singer Scholarship may be made online at www.friendsofthedailytexan.org or by mail to Friends of The Daily Texan, P.O. Box 8383, Austin, Texas 78713.

The first grant was awarded in March 2023, for $2,000 to Christina Huang, and the award given in 2024 will be for $2,500.

The addition of this scholarship brings the total awarded to 13 Texan staffers to $20,000 from the Friends group and its partner donors. The grant program started with one recipient in 2018.

“The naming of a scholarship in Griff’s name was overdue, and we are glad to make it a reality,” the Friends board said in a statement. “He signifies the best of the UT journalism school and has positively impacted thousands of students through the decades. His professional career is outstanding and an indicator of his knowledge and work in metro and community markets. He continues giving back daily to the profession he loves.”

In thanking the Friends board for the honor, Singer wrote:

“I owe so much to The Texan from my days as an undergraduate. I had the opportunity to work on The Texan during the day as a reporter and later a day editor (or city editor). And then, as many of you know, The Texan provided me a way to pay for my college education, working five nights a week as an apprentice printer in the TSP composing room in the hot metal days.

“When I returned to teach in the J school in the late 1960s, I soon found myself being appointed to the then TSP board. The relationship, and my appreciation for what it means to young journalists, resumed.

“Thank you so much for this honor. Thank you for allowing me to be a part of The Friends of The Daily Texan and its goals of a continued vital student journalist voice.”