March 18, 2008 04:46 pm
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Ann Faragher, 87, editor of the Herald-Banner from 1977 to 1986, died Wednesday morning in a Greenville nursing home.
Faragher came to the Herald-Banner in October 1966 as a courthouse reporter after having served for several years as managing editor and courthouse reporter for a tri-weekly publication in Port Lavaca. Prior to her promotion as editor in Greenville, she had been executive managing editor for two years and managing editor for nearly seven years.
She retired in 1986 and then worked in a part-time capacity at the Herald-Banner for several years afterward.
One of the first women to become editor of a Texas daily newspaper, she was a member of the Harte-Hanks Newspapers Advisory Board and was a mentor for many other women in the media.
During her news career, she earned more than 100 state and national awards from Press Women of Texas (PWT) and the National Federation of Press Women, and she was active for nearly 40 years in both organizations. Several years ago she was named Texas Communicator of Achievement for PWT and was a runner-up for the National Communicator of Achievement award.
The sweepstakes award in the annual PWT Communications Contest is named for her.
In Greenville, Faragher was a member of Hunt County Democratic Women and was active on the boards of the Salvation Army, American Association of University Women and the Crossroads Council on Alcohol and Drug Abuse.
Jerry Mainord, local businessman and former Hunt County Democratic Party chairman, remembers her as “... a person who was genuinely interested not only in her community, but in the political arena across our state and across our great country. In addition, she was a very astute analyst in political issues. A number of folks over the years would call her for advice, and she always had plenty of advice to give,” he added chuckling.
A native of Kentucky and a graduate of the University of Kentucky, Faragher was proud to be named a Kentucky Colonel in 2007, the highest award given by the State of Kentucky. Her college degree was in chemistry, and during World War II, she worked as a chemist.
Faragher is survived by three daughters, Phoebe, Abby and Audrey, and a son, William.
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