R E S O L U T I O N
1-1 WHEREAS, On June 15, 2001, Burl Osborne is retiring as
1-2 publisher of the Dallas Morning News, and this notable event
1-3 provides a fitting opportunity to recognize one of the great
1-4 figures in American journalism; and
1-5 WHEREAS, A "newspaper man through and through," Mr. Osborne
1-6 has worked in the industry for more than four decades; before
1-7 coming to the Dallas Morning News in 1980, he enjoyed a 20-year
1-8 career with the Associated Press (AP) and rose through the ranks to
1-9 become the managing editor of the AP's worldwide news operations;
1-10 and
1-11 WHEREAS, During his outstanding 21-year tenure with the
1-12 Dallas Morning News, Mr. Osborne has held such high-ranking
1-13 positions as executive editor, vice president and executive editor,
1-14 senior vice president and editor, and president and editor before
1-15 becoming publisher in 1991; and
1-16 WHEREAS, This distinguished gentleman was elected to Belo's
1-17 board of directors in 1987 and, since 1995, has served as publisher
1-18 and president of Belo's Publishing Division, which is the parent
1-19 company of the the Dallas Morning News; Mr. Osborne will step down
1-20 as an executive officer for Belo on December 31, 2001, but will
1-21 take on the title of publisher emeritus in June and remain on the
1-22 board of directors until May 2002; and
1-23 WHEREAS, Under his excellent stewardship, the newspaper has
1-24 won six Pulitzer Prizes for journalistic achievement, received many
2-1 other industry accolades for its news coverage, and has more than
2-2 doubled its circulation; according to the 2000 Scarborough Report,
2-3 the Dallas Morning News reaches more consumers daily than any other
2-4 media outlet in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex; and
2-5 WHEREAS, Mr. Osborne has initiated groundbreaking changes at
2-6 the newspaper, including increasing its coverage of sports and
2-7 business news to meet readership demands, overseeing the expansion
2-8 of the newspaper's Washington, D.C., bureau, and establishing
2-9 international bureaus as a way to bolster the newsroom and
2-10 strengthen the overall product; this innovative gentleman also saw
2-11 to it that the Dallas Morning News would be delivered to
2-12 subscribers' homes earlier in the morning; and
2-13 WHEREAS, Actively involved in a number of professional and
2-14 civic organizations, Mr. Osborne currently serves as vice chairman,
2-15 chairman-elect, and member of the executive committee of the
2-16 Associated Press, president of the Southern Newspaper Publishers
2-17 Association, as well as board member of the Newspaper Association
2-18 of America and the Committee to Protect Journalists; he is also the
2-19 director and a member of the executive committee of the World
2-20 Association of Newspapers and serves on the Advisory Committee for
2-21 the Nieman Foundation at Harvard University; and
2-22 WHEREAS, Mr. Osborne has formerly served as member and
2-23 cochairman of the Pulitzer Prize Board, president of the American
2-24 Society of Newspaper Editors, chairman of the Foundation for
2-25 American Communications, chairman of the American Press Institute,
2-26 president and chairman of the Texas Daily Newspaper Association,
2-27 and in other important positions too numerous to mention; and
3-1 WHEREAS, Such prestigious honors as the National Press
3-2 Foundation George David Beveridge Jr. Award for Editor of the Year
3-3 and the Pat Taggart Texas Newspaper Leader of the Year Award have
3-4 been conferred on him, and his impressive record of service earned
3-5 him Adweek Magazine's Newspaper Executive of the Year award in
3-6 1990; and
3-7 WHEREAS, Mr. Osborne was selected as a fellow of the Society
3-8 of Professional Journalists and presented a Millennium Award from
3-9 the Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge in 1999; and
3-10 WHEREAS, Through his invaluable efforts at the Dallas Morning
3-11 News and immeasurable contributions to journalism, he has truly
3-12 made a positive impact on countless lives; Mr. Osborne's hard work,
3-13 commitment, ingenuity, and devotion to his profession will continue
3-14 to contribute to our state for years to come, and it is indeed most
3-15 appropriate to pay tribute to him as he begins a new chapter in his
3-16 life; now, therefore, be it
3-17 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 77th Texas
3-18 Legislature hereby congratulate Burl Osborne on the occasion of his
3-19 retirement as publisher of the Dallas Morning News and extend to
3-20 him sincere best wishes for success and happiness in his future
3-21 endeavors; and, be it further
3-22 RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
3-23 prepared for Mr. Osborne as an expression of high regard by the
3-24 Texas House of Representatives.
Goolsby
_______________________________
Speaker of the House
I certify that H.R. No. 1413 was adopted by the House on May
28, 2001, by a non-record vote.
_______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House