ABILENE – Robert Hoy “Bob” Lapham, 83, author, long-time editor for the Abilene Reporter-News and the last surviving member of the 1950s pop and rock ‘n’ roll vocal group The Picks, died on April 4.
A native of Abilene, Lapham graduated from Abilene High School in 1953 and attended Texas Tech University, studying engineering, business administration and speech and dramatics. He was a Tech varsity golf letterman in 1953-54.
Learning, celebrating, commemorating and winning are all on the agenda for Texas Press Association’s final Summer Leadership Retreat June 21-23 at La Torretta Lake Resort and Spa on Lake Conroe in Montgomery.
The event features speakers, member-led group discussions, a legislative update, the annual Golden 50 Award and the Texas Better Newspaper Contest awards brunch.
Registration forms are available online at www.texaspress.com.
OLTON – Betty Sue (Howard) Cannon, 87, former owner of the Olton Enterprise, died April 8 in Lubbock.
A native of Erick, Oklahoma, she moved to Olton with her family in 1943 and she graduated from Olton High School in 1948. She attended Watson Business School in Plainview.
AUSTIN – William E. “Bill” Berger, whose career as a newspaperman spanned parts of nine decades, died Wednesday, April 11. At age 99, he was less than two months shy of his 100th birthday.
Following a private family burial service at the Texas State Cemetery, a memorial was held on April 16 at First United Methodist Church in Austin.
Leadership changes announced at Texas newspapers.
The Texas Press Association has joined a new coalition fighting proposed countervailing duties and anti-dumping duties on imports of Canadian uncoated ground wood papers, including newsprint and other papers.
The coalition, Stop Tariffs on Printers & Publishers (STOPP), is comprised of members of the printing, publishing and paper-producing industries, which employ more than 600,000 workers.
As part of the celebration of Sunshine Month in March, several Texas organizations joined forces to promote government in the sunshine.
The Texas Sunshine Coalition includes the Texas Press Association, the Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas, the Texas Public Policy Foundation, Public Citizen, the Texas Association of Broadcasters and other organizations. The new coalition’s website is www.txsunshine.org and social media channels are in development.
Southern Newspapers Inc. completed its acquisition of the Lawton Constitution, this week, as a new publisher takes charge.
Southern Newspapers, a privately-owned company headquartered in Houston, purchased the paper from local attorneys Bill Burgess Jr. and Brad Burgess, who acquired it in 2012 from longtime local owners Steve and Don Bentley.
The Lawton Constitution, with a daily circulation of 15,000 and a Sunday circulation of 17,000, is the third largest paper in Oklahoma.
Texas Press Association’s final Summer Leadership Retreat is set for June 21-23 at La Torretta Lake Resort and Spa on Lake Conroe in Montgomery.
Registration forms are available online at www.texaspress.com.
Deadline for room reservations at La Torretta Lake Resort and Spa is 5 p.m. June 6. TPA’s special room rate is $129, single or double, per room per night. Call 936-448-3024 to make reservations.
AUSTIN – The Texas Better Newspaper Contest is now accepting 2018 contest entries from TPA member newspapers.
Deadline for entries is March 22.
TPA members are invited to submit entries through the Better Newspaper Contest portal, which can be accessed at www.texaspress.com/bnc. The contest page includes a link to the 2018 Call for Entries rules booklet.