Tarrant, Barragán, Branham, Taylor and Diemer honored with Guild Awards
On a day in which Dallas News Guild members said farewell to union linchpin Dave Tarrant, several other members, along with Tarrant, were honored for their service to the 6-month-old Guild.
Tarrant is retiring after a 32-year career at The Dallas Morning News. He was guest of honor at the Friday night gathering. Earlier in the day, Tarrant was honored by newsroom executives and colleagues.
After layoffs two years ago, Tarrant said, organizing a union “was the only thing to do. You either give into despair or you fight back.”
The guild is 6 months old, and this is the first time individual members have been honored.
CAROL TAYLOR was given The Anchor Award, honoring a worker who shows steady commitment and constant support of members.
BERNIE DIEMER won The Service Award, given to a worker who shows they’re ready to do whatever it takes to advance workers’ rights.
DANA BRANHAM, known as Deadline Dana, won The Heart Award, given to a worker who shows deep compassion and kindness toward workers.
JAMES BARRAGÁN won The Engine Award, given to a worker who moves members to be their best and toward standing up together.
Perhaps the most significant award is named after Tarrant. The newly-created Dave Tarrant Award will go each year to the member who shows attributes we admire about Dave, including “moral courage, service to colleagues, passion for journalism, a fighting spirit and enduring optimism in the face of darkness and doubt.”
The first winner of the Tarrant Award is .... ta-da .... Dave Tarrant!
Barragán said to Tarrant, “Thank you for all your quirkiness, your mentorship, your fire you brought to the union, but most of all your journalism. It’s a career we wish we all could have.”
Most of the gathering was taken up with younger journalists praising Tarrant for his mentoring of so many young reporters.
Tarrant said, “I will say the union is one of the best things I did in my career. … It’s almost a miracle that we got there. It wasn’t a miracle. It was hard work.”
Dave Tarrant at his Guild going-away party on Jan. 15, 2021.
Unit Chair Leah Waters told how Tarrant invited her to join the campaign to create a union.
“Hey, we’re going to move this mountain,” he told her. “Wanna do it with me?”
She did – along with 100 others.
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WATCH our 6-month birthday celebration video:
