The Sam Holloway Award has been given by the North and East Texas Press Association since 1958, when it was presented to its namesake, Mr. Sam Holloway, at the convention in Tyler. Holloway was one of the founding members of the NETPA in 1926 and served as its second president in 1927. It has been awarded each year since 1958 to an outstanding NETPA member and journalist who has gone above and beyond the call of duty in support of the association while also upholding high standards of journalistic integrity and service to the community.

Donnis Baggett (left) of the Texas Press Association being awarded the 2015 Sam C. Holloway Award in Denton.

About Sam Holloway:

Sam Holloway was born Nov. 23. 1888 in Lancaster, Tex. and married Lucille Stevens in Paris, Tx Feb. 20, 1948.

He began his journalism career as a newsboy at the Dallas News and later the Dallas Times-Herald, and learned printing at commercial plants in Dallas and at the Dallas News, where he moved to the editorial department in 1911. He purchased the Deport Times in September 1912 from Claude Council.

He established the Talco Times in 1936 after the discovery of oil there, and purchased the Bogata News in 1937. His obituary cites his love of hunting and fishing as his reason for leaving the big city of Dallas for Deport, where he remained until his death May 11, 1960, shortly after this photo was taken in the Deport Times office.

His newspaper won numerous awards including best small town weekly at the State Fair of Texas in 1933 and runnerup the following year.

In 1926 Holloway, Sam Fryer of Clarksville and Lon Boynton of Paris organized the North and East Texas Press Association. Holloway became its second president in 1927 and was president of the Texas Press Association in 1935.

He was awarded the American Legion Distinguished Citizen award in Deport in 1935. He served as president of the Deport Chamber of Commerce, master of the Deport Masonic Lodge (twice) and was a member of chambers of commerce in Bogata, Talco and Lamar County. He was a member of the Dallas chapter of Sigma Delta Chi (Society of Professional Journalists) and a member of the Deport Baptist Church.

“Sam Holloway will be greatly missed by his fellow workers and employees, friends and acquaintances, and the area has lost a real newspaper man,” his obituary said.

He is remembered in Deport as a typical crusty newspaperman, tight with a dollar but dedicated to his profession and ideals.

Sam C. Holloway Award Recipients:

• 1958 Sam Holloway, Deport at Tyler
• 1959 Arthur Lefevre Jr., Houston at Marshall
• 1960 Billy Akin, Crockett at Nacogdoches
• 1961 Burt Lockhart, Pittsburg at Mt. Pleasant
• 1962 Jack Callan, Kaufman at Tyler
• 1963 R.N. & Zaner Robinson, Royse City at Kilgore
• 1964 Charles K. Devall, Kilgore at Irving
• 1965 Victor Fain, Nacogdoches at Longview
• 1966 Russell Bryant, Italy at Nacogdoches
• 1967 U.O. Clements, Lewisville at Paris
• 1968 George Hawkes, Arlington at Waxahachie
• 1969 Ellie Hopkins, Longview at Marshall
• 1970 Tom Steeley, Paris at Kilgore
• 1971 James Smith, Carthage at Longview
• 1972 Bob Cantrell, Bonham at Palestine
• 1973 Jim Bass, Mount Vernon at Arlington
• 1974 Barnes Broyles, Jacksonville at Nacogdoches
• 1975 Dick White, Pittsburg at Tyler
• 1976 Charles Hawkes, Arlington at Sherman
• 1977 John Kilgore, Rosebud at Bridgeport
• 1978 Doris House, Carthage at Tyler
• 1979 Ed Leach, Longview at Longview
• 1980 Buddy Camper, Allen at Fort Worth
• 1981 John Crawford, Denison at Nacogdoches
• 1982 Jack Hawkins, Groesbeck at Paris
• 1983 Sarah Greene, Gilmer at Denison
• 1984 Harlan Bridwell, Bridgeport at Tyler
• 1985 Bob Hamilton, Iowa Park at Marshall
• 1986 Tom Mooney, McGregor at Waco
• 1987 Roy Eaton, Decatur at Sherman
• 1988 Bob Wright, Mt. Vernon at Tyler
• 1989 Jerry Tidwell, Granbury at Longview
• 1990 Dolores Hamilton, Iowa Park at Granbury
• 1991 Ken Roselle, Decatur at Nacogdoches
• 1992 Pat Wright, Mt. Vernon at Denton
• 1993 Warren Flowers, Gainesville at Arlington
• 1994 Rosemary Bridwell, Bridgeport at McKinney
• 1995 Tom Pendergast, Winnsboro at Marshall
• 1996 Bob Buckel, Azle at Duncanville
• 1997 Dave Lewis, Celina at Tyler
• 1998 Bonnie Mullens, McGregor at Wichita Falls
• 1999 Leon Aldridge, Naples at Arlington
• 2000 Jim Bardwell, Lindale at Waco
• 2001 Phil Major, Henrietta, at Burleson
• 2002 Bill Ellman, Whitehouse, at Jefferson
• 2003 Randy Keck, Aledo, at Fort Worth
• 2004 Skip Nichols, Decatur, at Bossier City
• 2005 Roy Robinson, Graham, at Ft. Worth
• 2006 Marshall Day, Gatesville, at Galveston
• 2007 Kari Collins, Iowa Park, at Arlington
• 2008 Joyce Hathcock, Mineola, at Tyler
• 2009 Fern Woodwall, Grand Saline at Granbury
• 2010 Joe Thompson, Granbury at McKinney
• 2011 Ed Sterling, Austin at Fort Worth
• 2012 Bill Woodall, Kilgore at Mount Vernon
• 2013 Susan Reeves, Mount Vernon at Durant, OK
• 2014 Mark Engebretson, Lake Country Sun at Tyler
• 2015 Donnis Baggett, Texas Press Association at Denton

Randy Keck presents Bill Woodall of Kilgore the 2012 Sam Holloway award in Mount Vernon