Chapter 4: My Mentor, Dorothy Estes

My senior photo from
The Parrot Yearbook

As my high school years progressed, my enthusiam for journalism only grew stronger. And by 1966, my senior year, I was named co-editor of The Parakeet. While it broadened my responsibilties, it still allowed me to continue writing columns, report on  sports and pen editorials.

But maybe the most important contribution to my budding newspaper career happened after my sophomore year, when the teacher advising  the journalism department resigned and a new teacher took over. Her name was Dorothy Estes.

Mrs. Estes was kind and caring, but all business and demanding when it came to  instilling in us the principles of good journalism. We learned about the "Five Ws" -- Who, What, When, Where and Why, paired with How -- the  guideposts every reporter uses to write their story. How important accuracy is; sourcing facts; remaining impartial and taking accountability.

She built a classroom environment where creativity flourished, but she could also be stern when called for, which I experienced first hand. One day in class, probably as a deadline approached to "put the paper to bed" (have it ready to go to the printer), for whatever reason I was in a funk. Mrs. Estes could see I wasn't pulling my weight and asked me to step out in the hall, where she reminded me I had students who were relying on me to do my job.

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Dorothy Estes (Parrot Yearbook)

It was a moment I'll never forget. It was, as my wife's grandmother used to say, getting a "knot jerked in my tail." I was humbled, and redoubled my efforts the rest of that year.

Mrs. Estes went on to become a legend in Texas journalism. During a 50-year teaching career she touched countless lives and produced hundreds of working journalists. She oversaw the journalism program at the University of Texas at Arlington, and its newspaper, The Shorthorn, for 26 years. In 1996, she received a Commendation for Outstanding Service to Academic Journalism on the floor of the Texas Senate and in 2003, the Texas Intercollegiate Press Association inducted her into its Hall of Fame.

She passed away in 2018, leaving a legacy that is a constant reminder of how fortunate we were for her time at Poly,  and for the mentor she was to me. I like this quote from her obiturary:

"Mrs. Estes's philosophy was, 'I function more like a coach than a teacher, but I do not call the plays. The students provide the vision, the energy, and the courage; I am responsible for the coffee, the criticism, and the comfort. They find events, trends, issues; I offer perspective.' "

Something every journalism student in Fort Worth looked forward to was the annual High School Newspaper Contest, sponsored by The Fort Worth Press. The Press was the Scripps-Howard competitor to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Established in 1921, it was published in the tabloid format, and while it had a much smaller circulation, in  the Fifties and Sixties, it boasted one of the best sports staffs ever assembled. Among them: Dan Jenkins (author of "Semi-Tough" and "Dead Solid Perfect"), Blackie Sherrod, Jerre Todd, Bud Shrake and Gary Cartwright (of "Texas Monthly" fame). The Press also one-upped the bigger Star-Telegram by owning the rights to the "Peanuts" comic strip, at least until 1975, when the Press ceased operation.

A side note here: In middle school, I briefly had a paper route to deliver The Fort Worth Press on my bicycle to homes in my Poly neighborhood..

But back to the contest. Getting recognition for your work was important to all of us, especially going up against all the other high schools in the Fort Worth ISD. So I was particularly proud that in 1966 I earned first place for column writing, as well as fourth and fifth place for editorials. The previous year, I got second place in column writing and a second place for sports stories.

The Parakeet wasn't my only foray in journalism in 1966. The year before,  I learned the Star-Telegram was sponsoring a Junior Achievement program, which I joined. Once a month, we got to create content for a special page that was published in the paper.

Imagine my delight and excitement when I saw my byline on the pages of the hometown paper my parents subscribed to for over 60 years, and the newspaper I read religiously from the time I was a kid. It was a taste of the Big Leagues, and a forerunner of what was waiting for me down the road.

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My first byline in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram appeared April 2, 1965 in the
Junior Achievement program
​the newspaper sponsored.

But then there were bigger fish to fry -- like deciding on college. The summer before, I learned about a class being offered at the University of Texas at Arlington (UTA)  -- a chance to learn Russian. While other languages were never my strong suit, on a lark I decided to sign up. It was summer, I had time off, so why not?

It was taught by a retired colonel, and the first thing I discovered was the Russian alphabet has 33 letters, compared to our 26 (what must their typewriters look like?) It ended up being pretty enjoyable, and my friends got used to hearing "Privet" (hello) and "Do svidaniya" (good-bye).

As to a college, I had dreams of attending the University of Texas at Austin, which had one of the best journalism programs in the country. But I had to be practical. If I were going to college, while I could get room and board with my parents, I would have to pay for school myself. Having been already acquainted with UTA, plus the fact it offered lower in-state tuition, and was close by, I applied and was accepted for the Fall 1966 semester.

Of course, that meant getting a job, which I did at one of the local grocery stores. First, starting at the bottom, sack boy. Then I got promoted to stockman, and later, assistant produce manager. It cut down on my time for writing, but I was in pursuit of a bigger goal: A career in newspapers.