Obituary of Doug Ann Newsom

Doug Newsom was born in Dallas, TX to J.D. and Ruby Grace Johnson. She graduated from high school as the age of 16 and went on to receive two Bachelor degrees one in Journalism, cum laude, and one in Fine Arts, summa cum laude, a Masters in Journalism and doctoral degree from the University of Texas at Austin. She began work in public relations with the State Fair of Texas and the Dallas Chamber of Commerce. She worked as a free-lance writer in the Philippines for 3 years while living there as a Navy officer’s wife. She then became a full-time instructor at UT Austin for two years. After moving to Fort Worth she returned to work in public relations for the Texas Boys Choir, the Southwest Boat Show, and the Horace Ainsworth Company. During the national GOP Convention in 1976 she was the press secretary to Mrs. John B. Connally. She began working at TCU as an adjunct instructor in Public Relations in the Department of Journalism in 1969, by 1979 she became the Chairman of the Journalism Department at TCU, a position she held until 1986. She continued as a tenured professor at TCU until her retirement in 2009.In 1982 The University of Texas named her the Outstanding Public Relations Alumnus of the Year. In 2003 she was named a Distinguished Alumni of North Dallas High School. She had taught in eight countries and had been a Fulbright lecturer in India and Singapore. She was a member of Kappa Tau Alpha, Phi Kappa Phi, Phi Beta Delta and Mortar Board. She was an active alumna of the Theta Zeta chapter of Delta Delta Delta.Dr. Newsom was responsible for starting at TCU the J. Willard Ridings Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America in 1993. In 2001 Stanley McBrayer endowed a scholarship at TCU in her honor.She co-authored three books on public relations and media writing. The two writing books were the first in the field. She has had a book published in Hungarian by the government of Hungary, as an extension of a workshop she coordinated there.In addition to her academic activities, she served on the Board of Directors of ONEOK. She was one of three members of the Scholarship Committee for the Delta Delta Delta Foundation. She was chair of the Fulbright discipline committee and served on the communication selection committee for the International Research and Exchange Board. She served 18 years on the Advisory Council of GRI. She was the 2002 President of Episcopal Women’s Caucus and the 1996 President of the Tarrant Area Community of Churches. She served on the Board of Catholic Charities. She served on the Vestry of Trinity Episcopal Church and was a Stephen’s Ministry member and instructor.Doug was the widow of L.M. Newsom for which she had four children and Dr. Bob Carrell. She is survived by her four children, Mike Newsom and wife, Lisa of Fort Worth, TX, Kevin Newsom and wife, Radhika, of Bloomington, IN, Nancy Newsom Crippen and husband, David, of Granbury, TX and Bill Newsom of Fort Worth, TX; four grandchildren, Landon Newsom, Chase Newsom and wife, Tiffany, Samantha Newsom Darden and husband, Derek, and Erin Arnim; and two great-grandchildren, William and Wesleigh Darden.