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

Hall of Fame Members

Scholarship to honor A.R. ‘Dick’ Elam

The Friends of The Daily Texan is creating a scholarship to honor the memory of A.R. “Dick” Elam, who passed away in 2023 after a long career in journalism and journalism education. Elam served as editor of The Daily Texan, was a small-town newspaper owner in Texas, and taught journalism at the University of Texas at Austin and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He was a member of the inaugural class of The Daily Texan Hall of Fame. The initial goal for the Elam Scholarship Fund is an endowment of $75,000. A total of $37,500 has already […]

Read more

In Memoriam: Loretta Mae Diggs Pendergraft

Loretta Mae Diggs Pendergraft Died Dec. 20, 2023 Wichita, Kansas Loretta Mae Diggs Pendergraft, 105, passed away in Wichita on December 20, 2023 after a bout with Covid. She lived in Kansas most of her life but traveled extensively with her husband, Keith Pendergraft, until his death in 2015. She is survived by her daughter, Jo Pendergraft Clifton and son-in-law, Roger Duncan, her brother- in- law, Roger Pendergraft, and several nieces and nephews, as well as friends who will miss her sense of humor. Jo is a journalist in Austin, Texas. Loretta was a strong supporter of student journalism and […]

Read more

Daily Texan supporters: extend a helping hand to Texan student journalists

Last call for 2023 donations to the Friends of The Daily Texan  Endowment campaign to fund scholarships for Texan student journalists. The campaign to raise  $300,000 for permanent funding for 13 annual scholarships is nearing its goal, and every donation – $25, $250 or more – is important in reaching that goal. The Friends of The Daily Texan is a 501(c)(3) non-profit and your donation may be tax deductible. If the goal is met, all 13 grants to be awarded next year will be guaranteed permanent funding via the Friends of The Daily Texan endowment, plus other endowment partners and […]

Read more

In Memoriam: Albert “Dick” Richard Elam Jr.

Albert “Dick” Richard Elam Jr. Died Nov. 15, 2023 Austin, Texas Albert Richard Elam, Jr., 95, sailed to new ports on November 15, 2023, peacefully passing with family present. An avid sailboat competitor, journalist, University professor, artist, author and traveler, he leaves behind a treasure of stories, instruction, laughs and love of life. Dick Elam was born in 1928 in Pecos, Texas to Lena and Albert (Red) Elam. He began his lifetime profession and avocation as a writer at The Abilene Reporter-News, where he landed his first job as a cub reporter at the age of 13. Graduating from Abilene […]

Read more

Two Austin philanthropists/former journalists donate $1.5 million to boost Austin news coverage and music services at KUT and KUTX

  From KUT and KUTX Two Austin philanthropists and former journalists are pledging $1.5 million over three years to KUT and KUTX to improve and sustain news and music services, and to honor the legendary host John Aielli. The gift from Lynne Dobson and Greg Wooldridge is the largest outright gift the station has ever received. It will support Texas Capitol beat reporting and expand the staff of the station’s daily news magazine, Texas Standard. More than 40 journalists currently work in the newsroom on the local news, Texas Standard, and on digital and multimedia teams. Their gift, via The Tejemos Foundation, will […]

Read more

New roles and promotions at Texas Student Media

From Moody College of Communication, Oct. 16, 2023 It’s a time of expansion at Texas Student Media (TSM). Outgoing Director Gerald Johnson’s upward move in Moody College brings about a roster of promotions and structural changes to the organization. Gerald now interacts with Moody College, KUT & KUTX Public Radio, and Texas Student Media as Moody’s Executive Director for Program/Center Innovation and Partnerships. Position changes at  TSM include: Director for Marketing, Agency and Advertising Operations Assistant Director for Business and Media Operations Manager for Advertising and Revenue/Product Strategy And Director of Texas Student Media. With these shifts in leadership, Texas Student Media is set to boost […]

Read more

In Memoriam: John Anders, former Texan Sports Editor, 32 years at Dallas Morning News

John Anders Died Oct. 16, 2023 Dallas, Texas From The Dallas Morning News John Anders, whose lyrical writing, eclectic tastes and vast knowledge of Texas and his own distinct passions guided his career at The Dallas Morning News for 32 years, more than 20 of which he spent as one of the paper’s leading columnists, died Oct. 16, 2023. He was 77. His family said the cause was complications from multiple myeloma and surgery for diverticulitis, a digestive issue. Born in Lexington, Ky., in 1946, Anders and his parents moved to Texas when he was young. He grew up in East […]

Read more

Daily Texan suppporters: pay it forward, for student journalists

  The campaign to raise $300,000 for permanent funding for 13 annual scholarships for Daily Texan staff members has passed the halfway mark, with three months left in the 2023 effort. If the goal is met, all 13 grants to be awarded next year will be guaranteed permanent funding via the Friends of The Daily Texan endowment, plus other endowment partners and supporters of student journalism at the University of Texas at Austin. Donations in support of the Friends group to support The Daily Texan can be made at: https://friendsofthedailytexan.com/donations/ Or by mail: Friends of The Daily Texan, P.O. Box […]

Read more

CBS National Security Correspondent David Martin on Why Mary Walsh – former staffer at The Daily Texan – Is ‘The Producer I Can’t Live Without’

Editor’s Note: Below is the sixth installment of TVNewser’s The Producer I Can’t Live Without series, where prominent TV newsers and their longtime producers talk about their successful partnerships. In this segment, CBS News national security correspondent David Martin is recognized as celebrating his 40th year at CBS News. He’s also being inducted into the National Television Academy of Television Arts & Sciences’ Gold Circle honor society this evening after the 44th Annual News & Documentary Emmy awards in New York. To mark both occasions, TVNewser hopped on a Zoom call with Martin and his longtime producer Mary Walsh to learn more about Martin’s […]

Read more

Two new honors for Griff Singer: boost to student scholarship in his name, and first Friends of Daily Texan Lifetime Achievement Award

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 […]

Read more