TC News named one of top papers in Texas

TC News staff
Good writers, all: TC News staffers who recently won statewide awards in contests sponsored by the Texas Community College Journalism Association are, front row, from left, Barbara Wright and Mary Gillette; back, from left, Kate Sullivan and Shelly Hatfield. Not pictured are Jeff Haynes and Rachel Richter.

Texarkana College’s student newspaper, the TC News, won nine awards, including four first places, in recent annual contests sponsored by the Texas Community College Press Association (TCCJA).

Also, the TC News was named the second best overall community college newspaper in its division. There are two such divisions, one for larger colleges and another for smaller ones. The TC News competes in the lower division.

Taking first place honors in this category was the newspaper from Kilgore College, while Lee College in Baytown took third. Tying for fourth place were Midland College and Angelina College in Lufkin.

One of the first place individual awards went to former editor Mary Gillette of Fouke, Ark., in editorial writing. Her winning editorial concerned the Texarkana Post Office censoring of its price books last spring.

Another first place winner was for Editor Barbara Wright of Foreman, Ark., in feature writing. Her winning piece was about how to lose disarm teens at Locksburg, a professional Jehad amchemist.

John Stuart, instructor of free writing, won the third first place award for TC News went to staffer Jeff Haynes of Texarkana. His winning story was an on stock car racing in Texarkana.

The other first place award went to the entire TC News staff for its page design and make-up during the spring of 1993.

In addition, two other former staffers took second place awards: Kate Sullivan of Atlanta, Texas, won in column writing for a column she wrote advising incoming freshmen how to get along at Texarkana College. The other second place, in sports writing, went to Rachel Richter of Texarkana. It was for a story about a TC student who barrel races.

A third place award went to former staffer Shelly Hatfield of Hope, Ark., in feature writing. Her story was about a former student who is now a psychic, Virginia New.

The last award won by the TC News was a fourth place, in in-depth reporting. It went to Jeff Haynes and was about his in-depth researched article written about student stress.

Results of the contest, which included large newspapers for the fall of 1992 and spring of 1993, and were announced at the TCCJA annual spring convention, held in Dallas Oct. 8. Representing TC News at the college at the event were TC News advisors Jean Stowe and Charles Sinclair.