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George McElroy: A Storyteller, History Maker

Black Journalist Knew Pen's Power

By Serbino Sandifer-Walker

HOUSTON – For more than 70 years, George McElroy was a man synonymous with journalism excellence. With his Du Boisian writing style and witty sense of humor, Mr. Mac, as he was affectionately called, could tell a story like no other writer could in this modern day. He just simply made sense of a world that could be so senseless and complicated. From Houston’s tumultuous Jim Crow period to the coverage of six American presidents, Mr. Mac made us think deeply on issues of the day and he gave us hope for the future.

He seemed to always have courage while under some of the greatest pressures. I remember taking an Introduction to Reporting course from him at Texas Southern University in the 80s’ and being riveted by the stories he would tell about the black press, Houston civil rights and Third Ward.

With ink seemingly flowing through his veins, he carried on a 68 year love affair with Houston’s African-American press. He was only 16-years-old when he started writing a youth column for The Houston Informer—Texas’s oldest black newspaper. That 16-year-old young man grew to be one of the most prolific storytellers of our time. His grandfather predicted when he was only 5 or 6-years old that he would become a great storyteller.

“Out of about thirteen or so grandchildren, I was the only one allowed to touch my grandfather’s typewriter,” he said in a 2005 interview. “When people asked how come I was the only one allowed to touch it, he said ‘this boy can be a scribe’.”

And he scribed some of Houston’s most notable stories – stories about the sit-ins and boycotts that tore down the walls of segregation in Houston. He interviewed Martin Luther King Jr., Muhammad Ali, George Foreman, the late Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie, Fidel Castro, and six American presidents.

He wasn’t just a storyteller; he was a history maker, a civil rights icon. He helped to abolish segregation in Houston and Texas. He applied for admissions into the University of Texas Journalism School shortly after the landmark Sweat v Painter case in 1950, which forced that school to admit blacks into its law school. His application was denied.

Never bitter or angry about the injustices of the day, Mr. Mac would continue to play a pivotal role in helping to integrate Houston. When TSU students would plan sit-ins and boycotts in the 60s’, his role was not to simply write about the students’ plans, but to contact all of Houston media.

His tenacity, along with several brave TSU students, eventually forced Houston to desegregate its hotels, stadiums, lunch counters, and stores by 1963.

“Everybody did something that was key,” he said. “The desire for integration started right after slavery…we’ve been planning it a long time.”

Mr. Mac began working for The Houston Post while he was a junior at TSU in 1954. He would later graduate from TSU on May 28, 1956 and became The Houston Post’s first African-American weekly columnist. In fact, he had many first. Even though the University of Texas rejected his application, the nation’s first journalism school housed at the University of Missouri is where he went on to earn a Master’s degree in 1970. He was the first African-American to earn an advanced degree in journalism from that school. He was the first African-American with a journalism degree to teach journalism in the Houston Independent School District (HISD). He was the first black on the communication faculty at the University of Houston. An entire week was proclaimed in his honor by Mayor Fred Hofheinz in 1977.

His story was so remarkable. Even more remarkable was how he remained so humble throughout his entire life. He never allowed his accomplishments to overshadow the true journalist that he was. He was always Mr. Mac – kind, gentle and full of expressions that would leave you with a laugh or asking ‘I wonder why he said that’?

He returned to TSU in 1976 where he headed the journalism department until 1989 when he retired. However, he didn’t put his reporter’s pen and hat down until February of 2005 when he officially retired from The Houston Informer. He loved the black press. It was his “passion.” As a young 18-year-old his humility, life experiences and kindness inspired me to become a journalist and journalism educator. He was an honorable and brave man. Even as he was presented with a Life Time Achievement Award on September 29 by the Houston Association of Black Journalists, he never complained about being ill –although he had not been well - or boasted about being one of the best storytellers of our time. But he was one of the best storytellers of our time. He was Houston’s dean of black journalism, and I am grateful that our paths crossed.

Please see Houston Chronicle: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/editorial/outlook/4258859.html

(Serbino Sandifer-Walker is a former student of George McElroy, Texas Southern University Journalism Professor and Houston Association of Black Journalists President)