Dan Rather and Martin Rather on The 2017 Rather Prize, Public Education and Why “Giving Back” is The Family Mantra
Jennifer Hill
Senior content writer and strategist, freelance writer and editor, copywriter, brand storyteller, and adjunct professor. M.A. in Writing and B.F.A. in Writing, Literature & Publishing.
Dan Rather and his grandson, Martin—a sophomore at Rice University—are packing in media interviews the day after awarding Lake Dallas Elementary School Katie Landaverde the 2017 Rather Prize at the opening of SXSW Edu on March 6. The $10,000 cash award was the result of the online competition challenging teachers, students and administrators to come up with ideas to improve Texas public schools.
The winning idea? Landaverde developed a program that would allow high school seniors to stretch their leadership muscles by teaching elementary school students about topics that interest them outside the traditional curriculum. And competition partner, Rice University’s Center for Civic Leadership, kicked in an additional $10,000 to implement the program.
The competition, now in its second year, came as a result of what has become a sort of “coming of age” ritual in the Rather family.
“The idea for this came from my grandson, Martin who is now 19,” the elder Rather said. “When he was 17, his grandmother, my wife Jean who is a 6th generation Texan said, ‘Martin, what are you going to give back?’ He came back with this idea to establish a prize for the best idea to improve Texas schools. Jean and I both are products of Texas public schools all the way through. I thought it was a good idea.”
Rather, now 85, is busier than ever. Through his exploding News and Guts Facebook page, loyal fans and new audiences have embraced the veteran reporter as a voice of reason during what most pundits and viewers consider to be a chaotic post-election climate.