Obituaries published in the February edition of the Texas Press Messenger.

Rockport Pilot Publisher Mike Probst received the Frank W. Mayborn Award for outstanding community leadership in a presentation that came as a complete surprise, at least to him.
The presentation was part of the closing brunch of the 140th TPA Convention and Trade Show in Galveston.
The award recognizes a publisher or newspaper executive who has made significant contributions over the past year to the industry and the community. It is presented annually, and keeping the secret is challenging for TPA officials and for family members of the honoree.

Ramona Ferguson, publisher of the Banner Press Newspaper in Columbus, was elected president of the Texas Press Association at the 140th TPA Convention and Trade Show in Galveston.
She succeeds Laurie Ezzell Brown, who is now chairman of the TPA board of directors. TPA’s transition to officer installation in January is now complete after officers installed in June 2018 served terms spanning 18 months.

For nearly eight decades, National Newspaper Week has celebrated the positive impact of newspapers on their communities large and small.
Theme for the 2019 observance set Oct. 6 - 12 is "Think F1rst - Know Your Five Freedoms," based on the national program that launched Aug. 1 to foster better understanding of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

First Amendment attorney Laura Prather is a finalist for the  2019 Excellence in Advocacy Awards by the Professional Women in Advocacy Conference (“PWAC”).

The Society of Professional Journalists 2019 Excellence in Journalism conference is scheduled Sept. 5 - 7 in San Antonio.
Partners in the conference are the Radio Television Digital News Association and the National Association of Hispanic Journalists.
The conference provides journalists with the industry’s best training and networking opportunities. In addition to training sessions, the event features a large journalism expo and career fair.

With only 12 days remaining in the current session of the Texas Legislature, we’re optimistic that transparency reforms championed by TPA for years may finally become law. Much can happen in the final days of the session, but so far lawmakers have been supportive of government contract transparency, access to dates of birth, opening police files on the deaths of suspects and access to public records that officials hide on their private devices.

Analysis By DONNIS BAGGETT, Texas Press Association

Time to register for "Revenue Strategies: Tactics What Work for Texas Community Newspapers," a one-day conference June 21 at the Hangar Hotel in Fredericksburg.
The event is jointly sponsored by the Texas Center for Community Journalism and the Texas Press Association. 
TCCJ Director Tommy Thomason said the workshop is also free, "thanks to the generosity and vision of the Texas Newspaper Foundation."

From the Tyler Morning Telegraph
Former Tyler Morning Telegraph Publisher Nelson Clyde accepted the Sam C. Holloway Award when the North and East Texas Press Association met in Tyler for the group’s 93rd annual convention.
The award recognizes a NETPA member and journalist who has gone above and beyond the call of duty in support of the association while also upholding high standards of journalistic integrity and service to the community.

Sales training, contest awards, fellowship and fun were all on tap when the North and East Texas Press Association hosted its annual conference at the Hilton Garden Inn in Tyler April 4-6.
The conference featured sales training by Ryan Dohrn in an all-day seminar on Friday. In addition, Lou Ann Sornson with Metro Creative Graphics shared new products to improve sales and ad content.