Following in His Footsteps: Continuing My Grandfather's Skyline Legacy
By Dawson Beard, Skyline Editor
ALPINE - When I was first asked by Skyline Faculty Advisor Sid Balman to join the newspaper staff in 2022, my initial response was a less-than-enthusiastic, “I’ll think about it.” I never had any intention of becoming a journalist to that point, much less finding myself in my current position as Skyline Editor-In-Chief. However, what inevitably sent me on this two-year-long journalistic journey was a simple statement of fact from my mother when I told her about the offer: “Poopie worked with the Skyline, too.”
My grandfather, Lee Sleeper, better known by my sister and I as “Poopie” (long story), worked closely with the Skyline from 1975-1998 as the Director of News and Information, and Publications Advisor. During this time, he also served as Sul Ross State University’s Sports Information Director, providing publicity for over 40 conference championship teams and more than 20 All-Americans in various sports. His work at Sul Ross will live on forever in SRSU history, as he was inducted into the Sul Ross Hall of Honor in 2018. I had the honor of attending his induction ceremony.
I asked my grandfather about his time working with the Skyline, and this is what he had to say:
“I remember those days quite fondly. I had a great staff with which to work, and they did a good job. One individual, Stephen John [My Great-Uncle], served as Skyline Editor, and I was able to employ him as my assistant after graduation. What I remember most is the number of hours spent on the job. In the days before computers, the staff would write a copy on a typewriter; the copy would be proofread and marked up; and then it would go to the typesetter. We would get galley proofs back from the typesetter (we had moved from hot type to photo offset by then), proof the galleys, and return them to the typesetter for corrections.”
He continued, “newspaper layout consisted of taking the photo offset galleys and cutting and pasting them on the newspaper layout pages, leaving room for headlines and pictures. Once the layouts were complete, the pages went to the printer in Monahans... Needless to say, it was a labor-intensive project each week. Add to that the sports information and the photo service, and my weeks were full.”
My love for journalism did not exist before college. I joined the Skyline my first semester at SRSU, and here I am two years later serving as the Editor-In-Chief. I asked my grandfather how he felt about me following in his footsteps in this way and if he hopes to see me continue my career in journalism after I graduate this Fall. His response was exactly what I expected after knowing the man for more than two decades:
“I did not know of your interest in print media, so I was surprised when I found out you were on the Skyline staff. I think it is great that you are editing the newspaper that I worked with and one on which your Great-Uncle served as Editor. I am proud you are carrying on the family tradition.”
He continued, “Since I left the profession in 1998, journalism has changed greatly. In perspective, the internet was still very immature in 1998. While digital layout and design was available, it was still in its infancy. The advent of the digital age has transformed what was a print media profession into a profession open to anyone with a computer and an Internet connection. I would love to see you continue with a journalism career, but I would urge you to focus on a specialty area such as sports information.”
As my time with the Skyline will soon be over, I recognize how fortunate I am to be in the position I am today. Not only did I get to work with some amazing, smart people, work my way up the ranks, and learn the journalism craft from my colleagues and an industry professional, but I got to continue my grandfather’s Skyline legacy in the process. I hope I made him proud.
