Texarkana College Archives

Speakers Stress Importance of Truth At Journalism, Leadership Forum

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Highlighting the Texarkana College Day activities Nov. 18 was a speech given by H. Ross Perot, former TC student and Texas millionaire, H. Ross Perot, spoke at a leadership forum to area high school and college student leaders and journalism students. His talk ended TC Day and the journalism forum. On the platform with the speaker are his sister, Betty Perot, Todd Brown, Student Senate president, and Dr. J. W. Cady, president of the college.

The importance of truth and the worth of the individual were stressed by guest speakers, including TC alumnus and multimillionaire Ross Perot, in a combination journalism and leadership forum at Texarkana College, Nov. 18.

Guest speakers during the twin – city – proclaimed Texarkana College Day ceremonies were former editor of the Texarkana Gazette and present public relations director for the Texarkana, Texas, Model Cities program, J. Q. Mahaffey; current editor of the Texarkana Gazette, Bill Maddox; and Perot, Dallas multimillionaire whose successes have been written in such business journals as Fortune magazine.

JOURNALISM FORUM — J. Q. Mahaffey, former editor of the Texarkana Gazette and executive at Model Cities, spoke to high school and college journalism students from this area at the journalism forum at TC Nov. 18. The forum was a part of the twin-city – proclaimed Texarkana College Day.

Mahaffey in discussing the field of journalism stressed the importance of truth and the worth of the individual. Voicing his great admiration for the younger generation he said, “I’m so pleased with the young adults today. Never have I seen such idealism. You kids today aren’t concerned, as my generation was, with the eternal buck.”

EDITOR SPEAKS — Executive editor of the Texarkana Gazette, Bill Maddox, was the second speaker at the TC journalism forum. Maddox spoke to journalism students about the typical day of a Gazette reporter.

Maddox, in carrying out the journalism theme, traced the growth of an imaginary news story from the beginning coverage by the reporter to the final copy in the Gazette.

The main speaker of the day, H. Ross Perot, concluded the forum with his views of personal worth, success, and the need for business to take the lead in curing the ills of America.

Perot, who completed 14 years of schooling in Texarkana is now the president of Electronics Data System. He stressed to students the worth of self-respect.

“Don’t let your ideas be crushed,” said Perot, “Grab them and do something with them.”

When asked about the role that big business should play in urban ills, especially poverty, Perot replied, “Big business has not played a role in urban ills, but I think we’re on the brink of change.”

When asked about the problems of large industries polluting the air and water Perot explained, “We, at EDS have been preparing several films in the Dallas area on the amount of polluting being made by our own industries. I think,” concluded Perot, “that after an hour of their time (Dallas industries) the problems will begin to solve itself.”

The forum, under the auspices of the TC journalism department, was considered a success by those students attending.