eChaser: September 2012 / p3

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PEOPLE & PLACES

History Press of Charleston, S.C., will publish SPJ stalwart Carmen Goldthwaite’s book about women in Texas lore, which will be released in October at the Texas Book Festival in Austin. “Texas Dames: Sassy and Savvy Women Throughout Lone Star History” is a collection of columns on women from Caddo Indian tales to early 20th century and spanning the state from corner to corner — stories, either untold or undertold, about women who changed the face of Texas. ...

UTA Shorthorn adviser and SPJ member Beth Francesco Currie and a Denton Record-Chronicle team — Pennie Boyett, Lowell Brown, Dawn Cobb, George Getschow, LaJuana Hale, Peggy Heinkel-Wolfe, Sarah Perry, Spike Johnson and Elizabeth Smith — won the Society of Environmental Journalists’ Kevin Carmody Award for Outstanding In-depth Reporting with the Chronicle package “Citizens of the Shale.” The judges said the articles reflect “a strong commitment to quality journalism by a small newspaper, its reporters and editors, in the face of what could have been major push-back by both area residents and businesses.” ...

Fort Worth SPJ membership VP Rebecca Aguilar is the new NAHJ online vice president.

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GET A JOB

The House Research Organization, a nonpartisan branch of the Texas House of Representatives, has openings for an editor and a researcher/writer to work the upcoming legislative session (January to June). Experience in editing and producing on deadline is required, with a background in public policy and state issues preferred. Info here. ...

The Bryan-College Station Eagle seeks a reporter with a passion for government reporting, higher education and legislative issues. Critical thinking and organizational skills are a must. Send cover letter, clips and résumé to editor Kelly Brown, kelly.brown@theeagle.com or 1729 Briarcrest Drive, Bryan, TX 77802. No phone calls. ...

D Magazine and its holdings have several ad sales executive positions open. Experience in business-to-business sales and managing multiple platforms is expected. Info here. ...

The Temple Daily Telegram, a privately owned newspaper 60 miles north of Austin, needs someone with supervisory experience, staff-building skills and at least five years reporting and editing to find hard news “among the fluff” as the city editor. Send cover letter, résumé and references to acting managing editor Jerry Prickett, jprickett@tdtnews.com.

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NEW AND RETURNING MEMBERS

SPJ ... Dayna Worchel, The Tyler Morning Telegraph ... Mary Gallagher Williams

PRSA ... Chris Chilton, Botanical Research Institute of Texas ... Matt Macveigh, UNT System Business Service Center ... Kristin Moreno, Schaefer Advertising Co. ... Katie Giangreco, Fort Worth Zoo

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PRESIDENT’S COLUMN

Allyson Cross, Greater Fort Worth PRSA

The local weather personalities may not agree, but our PR friends at the school districts will tell you: Summer is over. Greater Fort Worth PRSA wrapped it up in August with a presentation by political communicator extraordinaire Bryan Eppstein of The Eppstein Group, as he shared stories of political campaigns past and present.

Bryan’s program was part of a series of mixers our chapter implemented this year to provide opportunities for members and guests to network and discuss communications successes and challenges outside of our regular monthly meetings.

Still on the road, we gathered at JPS last month to experience firsthand president/CEO Robert Earley’s vision for the Tarrant County Hospital District. The response from those in attendance has been tremendous, so kudos to our programs VP, Richie Escovedo, for a well-planned event. If you missed the luncheon, the high points are at fortworthprsa.blogspot.com/.

If you weren’t aware that we host a blog, make sure to check it out. We’re always looking for contributors.

We have a busy end of the year ahead. The nominating committee is working on next year’s slate, which will be announced via the eChaser and voted on at the annual business meeting in November. President-elect Chris Smith will be reaching out for committee chairs, and if you’re asked I hope you will consider chapter leadership. You could help PRSA achieve its goal of advancing the profession and the professional.

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OVER & OUT

John Dycus, Fort Worth SPJ

Texas broadcasting lost two champions in a month’s time with the passing of Texas Radio Hall of Fame founder Larry Shannon and longtime Texas Association of Broadcasters president Ann Arnold. Larry died on Aug. 2, Ann on Sept. 1. Larry (a.k.a. "Biff Burns" on Mark Stevens' KFJZ show, 1968-1974) was the ultimate radio guy and from 1986 to 1998 the administrative assistant to U.S. Rep. Jim Wright, but where he and I interacted was on building web pages. This was a fledgling field in the late 1990s and foreign to me; as I struggled to create the Fort Worth SPJ web site, Larry was eager to share his knowledge. He was patient and a good teacher. The look and feel of this newsletter reflects his assistance. Likewise, Ann was known as an award-winning reporter and Gov. Mark White’s press secretary, a passionate advocate for open government and a high-profile cancer survivor, but to me she was the fun-loving/no-nonsense (both at the same time) lady who organized those outstanding Texas APME convetions in the ’80s. If Mike Cochran and Mike Blackman and John Lumpkin and Harry Cabluck were my heroes, Ann Arnold was, too. She made me feel like I belonged. More on her here and on Larry here. Adios, Miss Ann. Farewell, Biff Burns. If only for a moment, let the dial go dark in tribute. ...

Britney Tabor, Yamil Berard and Jacque Lambiase join repeat offenders Robert Francis, Tracy Everbach, Tom Williams, Rebecca Bosquez, Rebecca Aguilar, Jason Whitely, Gayle Reaves-King and Kristin Sullivan as 2012-13 directors. Their term began Sept. 1. ...

Speaking of new director Yamil Berard, she reminds us of the workshops, jobs and training screaming for attention at ire.org/jobs/ and gorkanajobs.com. Already Yamil’s contributing, and she hasn’t even learned the secret handshake yet. And thanks, Beth Francesco Currie, for the job blurbs above. ...

Speaking of new director Jacque Lambiase and director/president-elect Tracy Everbach, the j-profs covet your input on a survey they’re conducting on journalists’ and PR practitioners’ social media interactions. Click here. ...

J-student stress: It’s better, then maybe it’s not at the University of Georgia. ...

Missouri Rep. Todd Akin, who says “legitimate rape” can’t lead to pregnancy, sits on the House Committee on Science. ...

SPJ is considering a plan that would enable members to interact with one another based on their specialties. These affinity groups would be less formal than chapters or committees but hopefully would give members a way to discuss shared professional interests. But first, there’s this snappy survey. “Thanks in advance for your help and feedback,” writes SPJ national president John Ensslin. “If you have any questions, feel free to e-mail me.” He’s at spjprez@gmail.com.

Caught my eye. Federal court rejects Texas voter ID law. ... Paul Ryan’s nomination acceptance speech all kinds of fact challenged; he lies about his athletic prowess, too. ... Five anti-environment directives in the GOP’s platform. ... California hit with hottest rain in recorded history. ... Appeals court overturns EPA’s cross-state pollution rule. ... Obama administration finalizes 54.5 MPG fuel efficiency standards for 2025, fast tracks seven gigawatts of renewable energy projects. ... Alabama first state to adopt anti-Agenda 21 legislation. ... Think air quality regulations don’t matter? Look at Pittsburgh in the 1940s. ... Record-breaking wildfires “a window into what global warming really looks like.” ... Google’s self-driving car reaches 300,000 miles without an accident. ... Conventional breeding, better farming outpace Monsanto corn. ... Fish extinctions predicted to double in North America over next 40 years. ... Scientists developing wood-powered batteries made from paper waste. ... Nine energy innovations that make the future brighter. ... Mobile machine can make biofuel for military and humanitarian operations. ... Heat-proof camouflage makeup could protect from explosions, flames.

Closing words: “I say to the grownups, if you want to deny evolution and live in your world that’s completely inconsistent with the world we observe, that’s fine. But don’t make your kids do it. Because we need them. We need scientifically literate voters and taxpayers for the future. We need engineers that can build stuff and solve problems.” — Bill Nye, “The Science Guy,” in a video critical of evolution deniers