DALLAS, Dec. 13, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The Dallas
Morning News today launched its ninth annual Dallas Morning
News Texan of the Year series, naming Nolan
Ryan as a finalist. Editorials about nine finalists will
appear from December 13 through December
23, with the 2011 Dallas Morning News Texan of the Year
announced on December 25.
As noted in the editorial, the Texan of the Year is recognized
for uncommon impact. And in 2011, Ryan displayed both leadership
and grace as he guided the Texas Rangers following the tragic death
of Shannon Stone, who fell from the
stands after reaching out to catch a game ball for his young son.
In the words of GM Jon Daniels,
"Down in the bunker that night, for me, was a really good snapshot
of how the organization runs and his leadership style. There were a
million things going on at once. Nolan was asking questions to kind
of guide things but letting everyone do what they needed to
do."
To Rangers fans as well as the Stone family, Ryan was the face
of the organization during this most difficult time. The editorial
states, "Consider for a moment how other organizations, sporting or
not, might have dealt with such tragedy. It's almost an
afterthought that Ryan's baseball team would play in a second
consecutive World Series. That's impact, too, but not quite as
uncommon."
The full text of the editorial will be in Tuesday's paper and
posted at dallasnews.com/texanoftheyear. Also, readers can share
their opinions of the selection by visiting the editorial blog,
http://dallasmorningviewsblog.dallasnews.com.
Now in its ninth year, the Dallas Morning News Texan of the Year
series draws from reader nominations to the newspaper's Editorial
Board. Criteria call for "a Texan (or Texans) who has had uncommon
impact – positive or negative – over the past year." The Editorial
Board selected the finalists and winner through an internal
vote.
"Year after year, our readers send in such varied, worthy and
thought-provoking candidates for Texan of the Year, that it is
quite a challenge for our board to select 10 finalists and from
there, the Texan of the Year," said Keven
Ann Willey, vice president and editorial page editor of
The News. "What stands out to me in 2011 is the depth and
variety of finalists who may not be household names, but I am
confident our readers will agree that we have arrived at a very
strong list."
Recent Dallas Morning News Texans of the Year include:
- 2010: Texas governor
Rick Perry (for his peerless
political instincts that led to an unprecedented third term as
Texas governor and catapulted him
onto the national stage)
- 2009: The Heroes of Fort Hood
(recognizing those caught up in the terror of a mass shooting,
extended to include all Fort
Hood-based military people and their families)
- 2008: Dallas County District
Attorney Craig Watkins (for his
dedication to reversing cases of injustice)
- 2007: the illegal immigrant (caused the political and social
pot to boil, while keeping Texas'
economy humming)
- 2006: Roy Velez of Lubbock (for exemplifying love and compassion
in the face of overwhelming tragedy, the war-related loss of his
two sons)
- 2005: the city of Houston (for
its stellar response to Hurricane Katrina victims)
For more information or to schedule an interview with
Keven Ann Willey or editorial writer
and project editor Rodger Jones,
please contact Stephanie Hoefken at 214-891-7693 or
stephanie_hoefken@richards.com.
About The Dallas Morning News
Established in 1885, The Dallas Morning News
(dallasnews.com) is Texas' leading
newspaper and the flagship newspaper subsidiary of A. H. Belo
Corporation. It has received nine Pulitzer Prizes since 1986, as
well as numerous other industry awards recognizing the quality of
its investigative and feature journalism, design and
photojournalism. Its portfolio of print and digital products
reaches an average daily audience of more than 1.1 million people
and includes online news and information sites; iPhone, Android and
iPad apps; Al Dia (www.aldiatx.com), the leading
Spanish-language daily in North
Texas; neighborsgo (neighborsgo.com), a
consumer-generated community news outlet; and Briefing, the
free, home-delivered quick-read. To advertisers, the portfolio of
products is represented by DMNmedia (www.DMNmedia.com), the
marketing solutions group of The Dallas Morning News, Inc.
About A. H. Belo Corporation
A. H. Belo Corporation (NYSE: AHC), headquartered in
Dallas, Texas, is a distinguished
newspaper publishing and local news and information company that
owns and operates four daily newspapers and a diverse group of
websites. A. H. Belo publishes
The Dallas Morning News, Texas' leading newspaper and winner of nine
Pulitzer Prizes; The Providence Journal, the oldest
continuously-published daily newspaper in the U.S. and winner of
four Pulitzer Prizes; The Press-Enterprise (Riverside, CA), serving the Inland Southern
California region and winner of one Pulitzer Prize; and the
Denton Record-Chronicle. The Company publishes various
niche publications targeting specific audiences, and its
partnerships and/or investments include the Yahoo! Newspaper
Consortium and Classified Ventures, owner of cars.com.
A. H. Belo also owns and operates
commercial printing, distribution and direct mail service
businesses. Additional information is available at
www.ahbelo.com or by contacting David A.
Gross, vice president/Investor Relations and Strategic
Analysis, at 214-977-4810.
SOURCE The Dallas Morning News