AC to add Tony Freeman, printer and mentor, to Mass Media Wall of Fame

Freeman, general manager of Cenveo Amarillo, formerly Trafton Printing, will be added to the prestigious Mass Media Wall of Fame during a formal ceremony at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 8 in the Panhandle PBS Studio at AC.

From choosing paper to the various aspects of layout and design, Freeman has advised AC students for 47 years, giving every new group a tour of the production facility with each passing semester.

“For decades now, Tony Freeman has selflessly devoted countless hours to advising AC students on all aspects of the printing process,” said Jill Gibson, Matney Mass Media Program chair.

“Tony has always been willing to partner in the teaching process,” Gibson said. “His generous contributions of support and knowledge have been instrumental in the numerous state and national awards ‘AC Current’ has won over the years.”

The Wall of Fame honors former students who have been successful in the media and others who have made significant contributions to the Matney Mass Media Program and the local media industry.

Freeman began his career in the printing industry in 1970 and in 1973 became a partner with the late Ron Trafton and the Trafton family. The company was sold to publicly held Cenveo in 1998, and Freeman remained with the firm. He has been sales manager and general manager with what is virtually the same company for 48 years.

A product of Amarillo Tascosa High School and what is now West Texas A&M University (BBA and MBA), Freeman has taught evening classes at both AC and WTAMU — in small business operations, sales management, marketing, advertising, communications and entrepreneurship.

He has served in leadership positions with the Amarillo chapter of the American Advertising Federation, the Chamber of Commerce Convention and Visitors Council, Panhandle-Plains Historical Society, and the Amarillo Area Rotary Baseball League.

Freeman will join 17 other honorees who have been recognized in the past and have their portraits and biographical information displayed on the Wall of Fame outside the AC student media newsroom in Parcells Hall.

Following are the Wall of Fame honorees to date (in order of inclusion):

Beth Duke, former city editor of the Amarillo Globe-News, executive director of Center City, and 2010 winner of AC’s Distinguished Alumni Award;

Kari Fluegel, who worked in media relations for NASA;

Ben Sargent, a Pulitzer-winning cartoonist and AC’s Distinguished Alumnus in 1993;

Mike Stravato, a freelance photographer for the Associated Press;

Thomas Thompson, former editor in charge of Pulitzer-winning coverage at the Amarillo Globe-Times;

Jason Boyett, author of several books and an award-winning advertising copywriter and designer;

Nancy Crowley, the late, longtime journalism teacher at AC, Amarillo High and Tascosa High;

Walt Howard, longtime news anchor for KFDA-TV, Channel 10;

Brad Loper, a Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer for The Dallas Morning News;

Jamey Neill, also known as Jamey Karr on the air, former program director at KACV-FM and currently general manager of The Eagle;

Robert Wylie, posthumously, a Piper Professor who taught journalism and English at AC for three decades;

Don Ford, a longtime director of engineering for AC’s radio station, an entity he helped establish in 1976, and for AC’s PBS television station—now called Panhandle PBS;

David Coons, an AC alum and a broadcast engineer for AC’s radio-TV academic department for 35 years;

Jerry Webb, the late director of AC student publications from 1972-1978, president of the Texas Intercollegiate Press Association in 1976 and longtime radio sports announcer;

Dusty Green, an AC alum and former KVII news anchor and news director who went on to create, produce and host a video travel series syndicated nationally on PBS affiliate stations, including Panhandle PBS;

Dale Robinson, the late, longtime production coordinator for KACV-TV, now called Panhandle PBS; and

Buddy Squyres, recently retired production coordinator for KACV-TV, now called Panhandle PBS.

For more information contact: Jill Gibson, at jlgibson@actx.edu or 806-433-1001.