Dateline: April 13, 2006

Enterprise wins Towery Award from PPA

By Roger Estlack, Clarendon Enterprise

The Clarendon Enterprise received five first place plaques in the Panhandle Press Association’s 2005 Better Newspaper Contest during the PPA’s 96th annual convention Saturday in Amarillo.

The local paper also received the Ken Towery Community Service Award in the Division I category for weekly newspapers for coverage of the 2005 Clarendon Street Project. The Enterprise has previously received the Towery Award in 2004, 2002, 2001, and 1999.

General Excellence in Division I went to the Canadian Record for the second year in a row.

“Laurie Ezzell Brown and her staff in Canadian are very deserving of the top spot,” said publisher Roger Estlack. “They consistently produce one of the region’s – and the state’s – best newspapers.”

The Enterprise received first place honors for Feature Photos by Cheryl Johnson, Front Page Layout, Spot News Photos by Roger Estlack, Best Special Edition for The Donley County Leader Pioneer Edition, and Best Online Edition by Web Master Ashlee Estlack.

“We’re very proud of our accomplishments this year,” Estlack said. “In addition to the hard work and dedication of our staff, the Enterprise is as good as it is because of the support of our readers and advertisers.”

The paper also received second place awards for Society Page, Feature Stories by Ashlee Estlack and Roger Estlack, and Headline Writing. Third place plaques were also received in the categories of Sports Writing by Sandy Anderberg and Tangela Copelin, Sports Photography, Best Editorials, Best Humorous Columns for “Life’s Lessons” by Carrie Helms, and Advertising Initiative.

The Clovis News-Journal was the top paper in the Division II category for semi-weekly and daily newspapers.

In other convention news, four journalists were inducted into the PPA Hall of Fame, including the late Roy S. Butterbaugh of the Boise City News, the late Felix Phillips (a.k.a. The Polk Street Professor) of the Amarillo Globe-News, David McReynolds of the Stratford Star and Moore County News, and Beth Duke of the Amarillo Globe-News.

Attending this year’s convention and accepting the awards on the Enterprise’s behalf were publisher Roger Estlack and Web master Ashlee Estlack.