Miller Bonner
Texas Tech University
Miller H. Bonner Jr (1950-2003) graduated from Texas Tech University in 1974 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism. In 2000, he was recognized as one of Texas Tech’s distinguished alumni from the School of Mass Communication. In 2003, an endowed scholarship was established in his name at the university and in 2004 he was inducted into the Texas Tech School of Mass Communication Hall of Fame. In 2001, he co-founded the Alliant Group. Before Alliant, he was with Edelman Public Relations Worldwide as general manager and national director of technology. His career included sports and column writing for The Lubbock Avalanche-Journal, The San Antonio Express-News and the Associated Press.
Diane Turner
Tarrant County College
By the time she was in the seventh grade, Diane Turner (1943-2009) had determined that she would go into journalism. She was editor of the junior high newspaper, then editor of her high school yearbook. She worked on the high school newspaper under Dorothy Estes, whom she considered her mentor. Turner was a photographer and reporter for her college newspaper and served as assistant editor and then two years as editor. She worked professionally at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram and Fort Worth Press before entering journalism education. She became director of student publications at Tarrant County College – South Campus (1974-1988), advising the yearbook, magazine and newspaper, all of which won state and national honors. She was selected Teacher of the Year, voted on by students, in 1985 and 1986. She was named Alumni Ambassador for the Department of Journalism and Printing at Texas A&M University-Commerce in 2000.
James Ragland
Texas A&M University – Commerce
James Ragland is an award-winning reporter, editor and columnist for The Dallas Morning News. Before launching his column in 2000, he was a veteran reporter whose work appeared in numerous publications including the Washington Post, the Washington Post Magazine and Emerge magazine. As a young journalist, he covering hard-breaking news including plane crashes, hostage situations and city politics. In 1991 he moved to the Washington Post, where he covered the first woman elected mayor of the nation’s capital. He also covered Ross Perot’s independent presidential bid and the Democratic National Convention in New York in 1992.
Sam Donaldson
University of Texas – El Paso
Sam Donaldson, ABC News veteran, served two appointments as chief White House correspondent for ABC News, covering presidents Carter, Reagan and Clinton. He also co-anchored, with Diane Sawyer, “PrimeTime Live” and the ABC News Sunday morning broadcast, “This Week With Sam Donaldson & Cokie Roberts.” He has covered every national political convention since 1964 with the exception of the 1992 Republican Convention in Houston. In 1998, he received the Broadcaster of the Year award from the National Press Foundation and was named the Best Television White House Correspondent in the Business in 1985 and the Best Television Correspondent in the Business in 1986, 1987, 1988 and 1989. As a college student at the University of Texas-El Paso, he began his career in broadcasting by working for local radio stations in El Paso. His 1987 autobiography “Hold On, Mr. President,” was an international best-seller. Among stories he has covered are the shooting attempt on President Reagan in 1981, the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962, President Kennedy’s funeral in 1963, the Vietnam War and Watergate.