An association for alumni and supporters of The Daily Texan, student newspaper at the University of Texas at Austin

News & Updates

Travel virtually across the globe with two Pulitzer Prize winning former Daily Texan photographers

For two decades, two Associated Press Photographers who met at The Daily Texan traveled war zones and pockets of peace in Central America, South Asia, Africa and the Mideast, taking photos that would win each a Pulitzer Prize in Photography. Those two photographers – John McConnico and Jean-Marc Bouju –  were recently named members of The Daily Texan Hall of Fame, sponsored by Friends of The Daily Texan, Inc. They are other Daily Texan 2020-2021 Hall of Fame honorees will be featured in a series of videos to be released in coming weeks. Because of health concerns, the Friends group […]

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First Black female sports editor of Texan talks about sports coverage during a pandemic

Editor’s Note: This article focusing on Myah Taylor, first Black female Sports Editor of The Daily Texan, recently appeared in Spectrum News Austin. (Since the article was written, the Friends of The Texan group has verified that Myah is the first Black female sports editor at The Texan.)   Daily Texan Sports Editor Finds Her Voice, Makes History By Stef Manisero Spectrum News Austin AUSTIN, Texas – The University of Texas at Austin campus feels a bit lonelier than it used to. “Usually there’s a lot of people at that crosswalk and there’s this really friendly crossing guard, everyone loves […]

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Seven Daily Texan staffers receive scholarship grants from donors, Friends group

Seven staffers at The Daily Texan at the University of Texas at Austin have been selected to receive grants totaling $7,500 for the 2020-21 school year. The grants are sponsored by Friends of The Daily Texan and two sets of donors (listed below) and are normally presented at the Friends annual Hall of Fame dinner on the University of Texas campus each fall. That dinner has been cancelled this year due to safety and health concerns, and the Friends group is announcing the student scholarship grants via social media. A $1,000 McConnico-Bouju Print Award is sponsored by John McConnico and […]

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UT Austin / Moody College of Communication receive $20 million grant to combat stuttering

By Nicole Villalpando Austin American-Statesman Austin and the University of Texas will soon have the largest center for research and education on stuttering. On Monday, Oct. 19, UT announced a $20 million legacy grant given to the Moody College of Communication to establish the Arthur M. Blank Center for Stuttering Education and Research. The grant will be paid over 10 years and is from the family foundation of Atlanta Falcons owner and Home Depot co-founder Arthur Blank, a fellow stutterer. The center will house the university’s current clinics and research centers: the Michael and Tami Lang Stuttering Institute, the Dr. […]

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Texan 2020 Hall of Fame Honorees: covering the globe from war zones to Wall Street, hospital operating rooms to classrooms…and beyond

A dedicated and talented group of honorees with an almost unbelievable range of experiences – locally to globally – comprise the 2020 Daily Texan Hall of Fame class. Consider these success stories of the honorees: √ Two globe-trotting, Pulitzer Prize-winning former AP photographers. √ A medical reporter and podcast host with 80 million downloads for a recent series. √ A former Texan staffer who has been the face – and voice – of the Longhorn athletics for more than 50 years. √ A Washington Post business and finance reporter focusing on Wall Street and government programs launched to save small […]

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Annual Friends Hall of Fame, Daily Texan Scholarship Awards Dinner To Go Virtual for 2020

The Friends of The Daily Texan annual gathering will be a virtual event this year, including awarding of seven scholarship grants for Texan staffers and honoring of new Daily Texan Hall of Fame members. The event was originally scheduled for an in-person gathering and dinner on Oct. 2, at The Union on the UT campus. But due to safety and health concerns, the in-person event will be replaced by a series of virtual events to be held this fall. This year seven Texan staff members will receive scholarship grants, one more than last year. The scholarship application process will begin […]

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Coming Soon: ‘Pancho Villa’s Saddle at the Cadillac Bar, Recipes and Memories’

In 1924, Achilles Mehault “Mayo” Bessan and his eighteen-year-old bride journeyed from New Orleans to Mexico, where he ultimately transformed a dirt-floored cantina in Nuevo Laredo into a bar and restaurant renowned across the United States for its fine seafood and fancy cocktails. That story comes to life in “Pancho Villa’s Saddle at the Cadillac Bar, Recipes and Memories,” which will be published this fall by Texas A&M Press. The author, Wanda Garner Cash, is a granddaughter of the founder and a daughter of Porter Garner, who built its modern reputation during his tenure from 1946 until 1979. Cash, who […]

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Krissah Thompson named first Managing Editor for Diversity and Inclusion at The Washington Post

The Washington Post has named Krissah Thompson as its first managing editor for diversity and inclusion. The 41-year-old newsroom veteran is the first African American woman to become managing editor in the paper’s 143-year history. And she’s an alum of The Daily Texan. Congratulations to Krissah and The Post. Below is a profile of Krissah from the Friends of The Daily Texan website, recounting her days at The Texan and her career. And her bio: Education: Master of Journalism, University of Maryland; College Park & Bachelor of Journalism and Plan II Honors, University of Texas at Austin Krissah Thompson began writing for […]

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Senator Zaffirini wins top Press Women of Texas communications award

Senator Judith Zaffirini, D-Laredo, has won the 2020 Ann Faragher Sweepstakes Award, the Press Women of Texas’ (PWT) highest distinction during its annual communications contest. Named for the trailblazing journalist who became one of the first women to serve as editor of a daily newspaper in Texas, it is given to the contest participant who earns the most first-place entries. This is Senator Zaffirini’s thirteenth time receiving the award. Senator Zaffirini is a former staffer of The Daily Texan, a member and supporter of Friends of The Daily Texan, and in 2016 was named to The Daily Texan Hall of […]

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Catch up with latest Communications issues and topics with Moody Mini Series

Curious about the latest from inside The New York Times newsroom? Need some tips on successfully working virtually? And what’s the latest on LGBTQ+ Perspectives in Advertising and PR? These topics and more are part of the Moody Mini Series, a series of 9 interviews and discussions about communication-related topics. Organized by Moody College of Communication at UT, the series just concluded for the summer, but will resume in the fall. All of the episodes for the first 9 sessions are available at the links below. “The Moody Mini Series came about as a way to serve and engage with […]

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