Clarendon, Canyon win General Excellence

The Clarendon Enterprise and the Canyon News won the General Excellence awards in the Better Newspaper Contest presented at the 106th Annual PPA Convention in Clarendon April 14-16, 2016.

Clarendon placed first in four categories in Division One and Canyon picked up five first place plaques in Division Two as those papers earned points to the General Excellence awards.

The Enterprise also was named the winner of the Ken Towery Community Service Award for its support of a potential water recreation project in Clarendon, and judges particularly noted the contributions of nine-year-old Benjamin Estlack with that effort.

Complete contest results are listed at the end of this article.

Thursday’s reception was highlighted by a welcome dinner held at the Saints’ Roost Museum and catered by the Honey-Do Spoiler Chuckwagon team from Pampa. Rev. Black Flowers performed live music, and Jo Shaller recited cowboy poetry. The Museum, which is the permanent home of the PPA Hall of Fame, was also open for tours.

Featured speakers at the convention at Clarendon College were Kevin Slimp and J. Pat Hickman. Sessions were conducted all day Friday by Slimp on Customer Service, Page & Ad Design, and Photoshop tips.

Hickman keynoted Friday night’s banquet. He is the president of Happy State Bank, one of the fastest growing banks in America and a longtime PPA Sponsor. He talked about the bank’s mission statement and the keys to success. Former PPA board member and longtime area publisher Phil Miller of the Groom News and pioneer newspaper man and former Clarendon publisher Ed Carhart were inducted into the PPA Hall of Fame Friday night.

Dr. Randy Reddick of the Texas Tech College of Media & Communication and Ashlyn Tubbs, former Clarendon Enterprise reporter and current reporter for KCBD-TV in Lubbock, facilitated a discussion Saturday round table on ways to use social media to connect with readers. An ethics panel discussion and the general business meeting were also held Saturday morning.

The PPA was led this year by Clarendon’s Ashlee Estlack. She will continue on the PPA Board as Immediate Past President with the following officers for 2016-2017: Larry Thornton of Muleshoe, President; Joni Yara of Booker, Vice President; and Roger Estlack of Clarendon, Secretary/Treasurer, along with directors Tara Huff of Fritch, Robin Brooks of Dumas, Ginger Wilson of Childress, Robert Arrowsmith of Hereford, and Rob Langrell of Clovis.

Next year’s Panhandle Press Convention will be held in Amarillo with the date and location TBA.

 

2015 PPA Better Newspaper Contest Results

Best Headline Writing

Division One: Canadian Record, 2. Muleshoe Journal, 3. The Booker News

Division Two: Canyon News, 2. Dalhart Texan, 3. Clovis News Journal

 

Best Human Interest Photos

Division One: Canadian Record, 2. The Red River Sun, 3. The Clarendon Enterprise

Division Two: Hereford Brand, 2. Clovis News Journal, 3. Canyon New, Honorable Mention – Guymon Daily Herald

Best Sports Writing

Division One: The Red River Sun, 2. The Booker News, 3. The Canadian Record, Honorable Mention – The Muleshoe Journal

Division Two: Canyon News, 2. Clovis News Journal, 3. Hereford Brand, Honorable Mention – Portales News Tribune

Best Advertising Initiative

Division One: The Clarendon Enterprise, 2. The Red River Sun, 3. The Booker News

Division Two: The Canyon News, 2. Moore County News Press, 3. Dalhart Texan

Best Front Page Layout

Division One: The Canadian Record, 2. The Clarendon Enterprise, 3. The Red River Sun

Division Two: Hereford Brand, 2. Dalhart Texan, 3. Moore County News-Press, Honorable Mention – Clovis News-Journal

Best News Writing

Division One: Muleshoe Journal, 2. The Clarendon Enterprise, 3. The Canadian Record, Honorable Mention – The Booker News

Division Two: Hereford Brand, 2. The Canyon News, 3. Portales News Tribune, Honorable Mention – Guymon Daily Herald

Best Spot News Photos

Division One: The Canadian Record, 2. The Clarendon Enterprise, 3. Muleshoe Journal

Division Two: Moore County News-Press, 2. Canyon News, 3. Clovis News Journal, Honorable Mention – Dalhart Texan

Best Humorous Columns

Division One: The Canadian Record, 2. The Clarendon Enterprise – Roger Estlack, 3. Quay County Sun, Honorable Mention – The Clarendon Enterprise – Benjamin Estlack

Division Two: 1. The Hereford Brand – John Carson, 2. Clovis News Journal – Kevin Wilson, 3. Clovis News Journal – D’Nieka Hartsfield, Honorable Mention – Canyon News – Gail Williams

Best Society and Lifestyles

Division One: Canadian Record, 2. Clarendon Enterprise, 3. Muleshoe Journal, Honorable Mention – Red River Sun

Division Two: Clovis News Journal, 2. The Canyon News

Best Feature Story

Division One: Clarendon Enterprise, 2. Quay County Sun, 3. The Booker News

Division Two: The Hereford Brand – John Carson, 2. The Canyon News – Tim Ritter, 3. Clovis News Journal

Best Special Section

Division One: Red River Sun, 2. The Clarendon Enterprise, 3. The Canadian Record, Honorable Mention, Quay County Sun

Division Two: The Canyon News, 2. Moore County News Press, 3. The Dalhart Texan

Best Editorial

Division One: The Clarendon Enterprise, 2. The Canadian Record, 3. The Booker News, Honorable Mention – The Muleshoe Journal

Division Two: Clovis News Journal, 2. The Canyon News, 3. Pampa News

Best Serious Column

Division One: Canadian Record – Laurie Brown, 2. The Quay County Sun, 3. The Clarendon Enterprise – Roger Estlack, Honorable Mention – The Clarendon Enterprise – Benjamin Estlack

Division Two: Clovis News Journal – Kevin Wilson, 2. The Hereford Brand – John Carson, 3. Clovis News Journal – David Stevens

Best Sports Photos

Division One: Clarendon Enterprise, 2. The Quay County Sun, 3. The Red River Sun, Honorable Mention – The Canadian Record

Division Two: Canyon News, 2. Clovis News Journal, 3. Guymon Daily Herald

Best Website

Division One: Muleshoe Journal, 2. Clarendon Enterprise, 3. The Canadian Record

Division Two: Pampa News, 2. The Hereford Brand, 3. Canyon News

General Excellence

Division One: Clarendon Enterprise

Division Two: Canyon News

Ken Towery Community Service Award

Clarendon Enterprise

Miller, Carhart new Hall of Fame members

Former PPA board member and longtime area publisher Phil Miller of the Groom News and pioneer newspaper man and former Clarendon publisher Ed Carhart were inducted into the PPA Hall of Fame Banquet on Friday night, April 15, 2016, in the Clarendon College Bairfield Activity Center.

Phillip James Miller grew up in the newspaper business. His father, Joseph Miller, owned the Panhandle Herald and the White Deer News. Phil grew up helping with the family business by doing anything that needed doing. He attended college at Oklahoma University, earning his degree in government and city management. He worked for the Daily Oklahoman and the Norman Transcript while attending school.

After a few years of government jobs, Phillip had the opportunity to purchase The Groom News from longtime owner, Max Wade, in 1987. During that period of time, he rescued three papers from near distinction, The McLean News, which had been lost in a fire, The Lefors News and The Claude News. He actually rescued the Claude New twice. The last time was without any address list of subscribers, equipment or a building. He also served PPA as a board member. Phil retired in 2009 due to health issues, selling to longtime editor, Donna Burton.

Ed Carhart was born December 15, 1863, in Watertown, New York, and his family moved to Oshkosh, Wisconsin, in 1874 where, at an early age, he and his sister began publishing a religious newspaper, The Early Dawn. In 1878, that outfit began printing the Texas Panhandle’s first newspaper – The Clarendon News – once a month for Carhart’s cousin, Lewis H. Carhart, who had founded the Clarendon colony in Texas earlier that year.

At age 16 with financial backing from his father, Ed Carhart left Wisconsin for Texas, stopping in Chicago to purchase a printing outfit for the colony. He shipped it to Gainesville and there loaded it into a wagon for a three-week journey to Clarendon. The young man installed the Panhandle’s first printing press in the News office – a picket house chinked with mud and with a dirt floor. Ed Carhart turned the News into a weekly publication and printed his first edition in July of 1880, a feat which impressed the colonists and “swelled the hat band” of the young man. He increased the annual subscription rate from 50-cents to $2 per year.

The next year he married Mary Estella Brewer. They were the first young couple married in Donley County, and they eventually made their home in Panhandle where they had four children. Carhart sold the Clarendon newspaper in 1884 later and his family became early pioneers in Carson County. During his lifetime, Ed was engaged in the drug store business, banking, an auto dealership, and a grain elevator. He served for a time as postmaster of Panhandle and as treasurer of Carson County. Ed Carhart died on February 4, 1946, and is buried in Panhandle. Accepting the award was Ed Carhart’s great-grandson, Pat Carhart.