Smooth Sailing Ahead!

STPA to Convene in Corpus Christi, TX

The 96th annual South Texas Press Association Convention will be held April 21-23 in Corpus Christi, Texas. The South Texas Gulf Coast site offers many fun attractions, including the Texas State Aquarium and the 19-story

tall floating USS Lexington

Museum. The city also boasts

other attractions, such as the

Texas Surf Museum, the Bay-

front Seawall, the South Texas

Music Walk of Fame and more.

It also is home to the original

Whataburger and “Mirador de la

Flor” a statue of the late Tejano

singer Selena, plus the Selena Museum.

The Art Museum of South Texas showcases fine art and features floor-to-ceiling windows, skylights and many architectural touches that play off the South Texas sun and sparkling Corpus Christi Bay. The building is known for its iconic pink wall, which draws selfie takers from near and far.

Corpus Christi’s Emerald Beach Hotel will host this year's convention. This historic location serves up a premium bay view and is located on the beach. Other amenities include an outdoor pool, free WiFi, flat-screen TVs and on-site dining.

Convention registration is $80 per person ($90 after April 1), $40 per child, ages 6-12 ($45 after April 1) and free for children aged 5 years and younger.

The $75 annual STPA membership dues must be paid before registering for the convention. For more information, call Jeff Berger at 830-426-3346 or email anvil@hondo.net.

Deadline for hotel reservations is April 2. Cost is $119 per night. Call 361-883- 5731 and ask for the South Texas Press Association group rate.

Kicking off the STPA family reunion will be the President's Reception on Thursday evening, April 21, at the Emerald Beach Hotel's Kokomos Room, which overlooks the bay. Enjoy hors d’oeuvres, cocktails and a beautiful view while catching up with all your STPA friends and family.

Following the President’s Reception, members are invited to join together from 9 p.m. to midnight in the "Strauss Haus," also located at the Emerald Beach Hotel. As always, the Pleasanton

Express folks will be on hand to mix and serve drinks.

Friday's agenda will start with a breakfast buffet at the hotel.

After that, STPA members will be treated to informational and edu-

cational sessions on

photography and work-

ing with student and

young r eporters.

Presenting those

programs will be Bradley

Wilson, an associate

professor at Midwestern

State University, and

Robert Muilenburg, an associate professor in

journalism at Del Mar College in Corpus Christi. (See more details on the presenters below.)

The awards luncheon will begin at noon and will feature a buffet of Mahi-Mahi fish and chicken, with a choice of many sides and dessert.

STPA Better Newspaper Contest awards will be announced and presented by Pleasanton Express' Rhonda Chancellor, who is serving as 2nd vice president and contest chairman.

Your afternoon will be free to explore Corpus Christi. Check out the Texas State Aquarium, the USS Lexington, the Art Museum of South Texas, the Corpus Christi Natural History Museum just down the street, or the Texas Surf Museum nearby. There’s also plenty of shopping throughout the city or, for those who would rather, just kick back and relax on the beach.

Friday evening -- back in the Kokomos Room -- we will enjoy a 6 p.m. cocktails and dinner. Afterward, we'll hear from guest speaker Greg Stunz, otherwise known as "The Shark Guy." He is both a professor of marine biology and director of the Center for Sportfish Science and Conservation at Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi.

After Greg’s talk, be prepared to share your favorite STPA Convention stories.

On Saturday morning, the STPA business meeting will be held at 9 a.m., followed by brunch at 10 a.m. , when we'll present our Chester Evans Distinguished Service Award.

Hotel Deadline - April 2, 2022

CALL DIRECT TO RESERVE TODAY!

361-883-5731

$115/night - Emerald Beach Hotel

1102 S. Shorline Blvd.,

Corpus Christi, TX

Hotel Deadline - April 2, 2022

CALL DIRECT TO RESERVE TODAY!

361-445-6554

$115/night - Emerald Beach Hotel

1102 S. Shoreline Blvd.

Corpus Christi, TX

Photography, Journalism Topics for Educational Sessions

Speakers at the upcoming STPA convention in Corpus Christi, Texas, will include 3 presenters:

Bradley Wilson Robert Muilenburg 'Shark Guy' Greg Stunz

An associate professor at Midwestern State University,

Bradley Wilson received his

doctoral degree in public

administration with research

work in media agenda-setting

and local governments. He

teaches various reporting and

other mass communication

classes although his particular

area of interest is visual

communication.

He got his start working as a photojournalist for a

weekly newspaper in Austin, the Westlake Picayune. Along the way, he has worked as an executive director, public information officer and director of marketing for various companies. Wilson is the editor of the national magazine, Communication: Journalism Education Today, for the national Journalism Education Association and managing editor of College Media Review for the College Media Association.

In 2020, the Scholastic Journalism Division of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication gave him the David Adams Educator of the Year Award.

He has received the Gold Key from the Columbia Scholastic Press Association, the Pioneer Award from the National Scholastic Press Association, the Star of Texas from the Association of Texas Photography Instructors, the Trailblazer Award from the Texas Association of Journalism Educators and the Carl Towley Award from the Journalism Education Association.

In 2014, the National Press Photographers Association named him the Robin F. Garland Educator of the Year and the College Media Association named him a Distinguished Adviser for newspaper advising at a four-year college or university. In 2017, he received the Edith Fox King Award for contributions to scholastic journalism in Texas.

Wilson

Robert Muilenburg is

an associate professor of

journalism at Del Mar College

in Corpus Christi.

Since working at

Del Mar, he also has served

as advisor for student

publications, including:

The Foghorn newspaper

and The Siren magazine, as

well as and foghornnews.com.

He has also taught at

Texas A&M Kingsville and

Texas A&M Corpus Christi.

Prior to teaching he worked as a photojournalist for 12 years both in the U.S. Army and for several publications.

Robert has a 21-year-old daughter who is graduating from college soon, and two cats that refuse to leave.

Muilenburg

'Shark Guy' Stunz

Greg Stunz, also known as "the Shark Guy", will speak on Friday evening as dinner wraps up in the Kokomos Room of the Emerald Beach Hotel.

Stunz is a professor of marine biology and is director of the Center for Sportfish Science and Conservation at Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi. His research program aims to provide scientific data for sustainable management of marine fisheries and ocean resources to ensure healthy environments.

In addition to numerous scientific publications, his research program is frequently covered by television, radio, print news and other media outlets.

Convention Registration

$80 per person, $40 per child 6-12, FREE for kids 5 and under

(Rates go up after April 1 to $90 per person, $45 per child 6-12)

Send to:

STPA Treasurer Jeff Berger

P.O. Box 400, Hondo, TX 78861

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