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Texas Newspaper Hall of Fame

Milton Morin

Milton Morin

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Milton Morin

Houston Daily Court Review

Hall of Fame Class of 2017

Milton Morin, 1941-2009, was a lifelong newspaperman and the third-generation owner of the Daily Court Review in Houston, serving as publisher from 1970-2004 and as publisher emeritus from 2004 to 2009. He was a champion of open records and public notices in printed newspapers.

Morin was a member of the Texas Press Association and the Texas Press Association Legislative Advisory Committee, the Texas Daily Newspaper Association, the Texas Gulf Coast Newspaper Association, American Court and Commercial Newspapers and the National Newspaper Association. On his own and as a member of Texas Press Association Legislative Advisory Committee, Morin spent countless hours at the Texas Capitol, visiting with legislators and their staff and testifying at committee hearings over nearly 40 years of legislative sessions.

Morin began his career at the Daily Court Review - owned by his family since 1889 - when he was 11 years old. He loved the sound of a running press and the smell of fresh ink. He worked for his parents throughout his teen years, learning every aspect of the business, and went to work at the newspaper full-time after graduating from St. Thomas University in 1964. In 1970 Morin assumed the role of publisher and led the company for the next 34 years.

State Sen. Paul Bettencourt, a former Harris County tax assessor-collector, said Morin was one of first people he met when he became tax assessor. "He was a class act, a first-class person," Bettencourt said. "He really knew his business, that's what always impressed me. He was really solid."

Morin was a fixture in downtown Houston. "From our first meeting to the day he retired he was nothing but the consummate professional and a true gentleman," said Charles Bacarisse, former Harris County district clerk and now vice president of advancement at Houston Baptist University. "He always strove for accuracy. He was kind and respectful and I really appreciated the way he conducted himself."

Doug Adkinson, director of criminal justice issues for Harris County Judge Ed Emmett, knew Morin for years. "He came to my office almost every day to drop off a copy of the Daily Court Review," Adkinson said. "He was always approachable. He was man of faith, a man with a lot of love in his heart and just so unpretentious."

After retiring as publisher in 2004, Morin was named publisher emeritus and continued working tirelessly to promote the importance of public notices in newspapers on behalf of the Texas newspaper industry.

"He was very committed to our work," said Fred Hartman of Hartman Newspapers in Rosenberg. Hartman, a former chair of the Texas Press Association Legislative Advisory Committee, said, "Milt was a wonderful man and a committed professional. He loved his family and the people he worked with. He brought a lot of knowledge and expertise to the table and was an invaluable asset to our industry."

"The main thing that impressed me about Milton was his caring," said Nuel Cates, publisher of the Daily Commercial Record in Dallas. "He was honest and he cared about other people."