Groveton News Publisher to receive Hall of Fame honor
Groveton News - November 2007

AUSTIN – Alvin Holley, publisher of The Groveton News and other East Texas newspapers, has been selected as a 2008 inductee in the Texas Newspaper Foundation Hall of Fame.
The induction ceremony will take place on Jan. 18, 2008, at the Texas Press Association’s 61st annual midwinter conference in Dallas.

In 2006, the Austin-based Texas Newspaper Foundation (TNF) created its hall of fame to honor four exemplary men and women of the newspaper industry each year.
The first four were inducted in January 2007.

In addition to Holley, members of the second class of inductees included Walter Buckle, publisher of the Lamesa Press Reporter; the late Amon G. Carter, longtime publisher of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram; and the late Harold Hudson, former editor and publisher of the Ochiltree County Herald in Perryton.

The four honorees were chosen on Nov. 1 by a TNF selection committee from a field of 37 nominees.

Holley, a native of Corsicana, began his newspaper career at the age of 10 as a carrier for the Corsicana Daily Sun.

After selling newspapers on the streets for a number of years, Holley was offered an office job with the Sun. While working at that newspaper, he moved through the ranks as circulation manager, advertising manager and general manager.

In 1972, he and another employee of the Sun, David Durham, bought Polk County Publishing Co. in Livingston. At that time the company owned and operated the Polk County Enterprise in Livingston, the San Jacinto News-Times in Coldspring and Shepherd and the Lake Livingston Progress.

In September 1972, Holley and Durham purchased The Groveton News and in March 1973 they acquired The Trinity Standard.

Polk County Publishing went on to acquire The Corrigan Times, The Houston County Courier in Crockett and The Tyler County Booster in Woodville.

Holley subsequently purchased his partner’s interest in the company and serves as publisher of all of its newspapers.

He served as president of the Texas Gulf Coast Press Association in 1986-87 and as the 123rd president of the Texas Press Association in 2000-2001.

He also has earned a Texas Press Association Golden 50 Award recognizing his 50 years of work in the newspaper business.