FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 8, 2009
Contact: Molly Dannenmaier, 409-765-7834
Director of Marketing and Public Relations
molly.dannenmaier@galvestonhistory.org

Former Belo Archivist to Present Lecture Friday, February 27 on History of Dallas-Based Media Empire That Traces its Roots to Galveston

Part of Galveston Historical Foundation’s Menard Lecture Series

Galveston Historical Foundation will host another in its popular series of Menard Lectures on Friday, February 27, 5:30, at Galveston’s oldest residential dwelling, the Michel B. Menard House. The lecture is titled "Alfred Horation Belo: Southern Gentleman and Newspaper Publisher." The talk will include his Moravian upbringing in North Carolina, his Civil War experiences, his arrival in Galveston at the end of the Civil War, and how he came to be publisher of Galveston’s newspaper, “The Daily News.” It will detail his subsequent efforts to establish a sister newspaper in Dallas, which began publication in 1885.

The speaker, former Belo Corporation archivist Judith Garrett Segura, is the author of a new book, “Belo From Newspapers to New Media,” published by the University of Texas Press, September 2008. The book focuses on the history of the Belo Corporation, which traces its roots back to 1842 with the introduction of “The Daily News” in Galveston. The book is available for sale online at www.utexas.edu/utpress/books/segbel.html.

Her book and lecture draw on company archives and private papers of key figures, including Belo and G. B. Dealey, to bring to life important chapters in the cultural life of Texas, from Galveston's days as the largest and most vibrant town in the Republic of Texas, through the wars that followed statehood, periods of economic hardship, and the effects of sweeping social change. Turning points in the company's history, such as the sale of its Galveston paper when company revenues were dramatically affected by candid reporting of Ku Klux Klan activities in the 1920s, highlight crucial elements of the press's role in the life of a community.

The company’s flagship, “The Dallas Morning News,” has been publishing since 1885. The name A. H. Belo Corporation was applied to the company in 1926. The name was shortened to Belo Corp. in 2002.

Segura retired as president and trustee of the Belo Foundation in 2004 after 24 years with the company. A visual artist and poet, she is also the author of numerous feature stories and books on Texana.

This lecture is one of a two-part fall lecture package focusing on the Belo Corporation’s history and its connection to Galveston. On March 20, historian Michael V. Hazel will present a lecture entitled “First Links in a Chain: The Galveston Daily News and The Dallas Morning News. A full description of that lecture can be found at www.galvestonhistory.org.

The venue for both these lectures is the Michel B. Menard House, Galveston’s oldest surviving residential dwelling, recognized by the National Trust for Historic Preservation as one of the finest examples of historic preservation in the United States. The Menard House is furnished with museum-quality 19th-century Empire pieces and is located at 1605 33rd Street in Galveston. The event begins at 5:30 with light refreshments. The lecture begins promptly at 6 p.m.

The ticket price for each Menard Lecture is $10 for GHF members, $12 for non-members, with proceeds going to support GHF's work in Galveston's recovery from Hurricane Ike. Seating is limited; reservations are recommended, and may be made by calling Denise Alexander at 409-750-9108 or by emailing her at denise.alexander@galvestonhistory.org.