Jane Covington

Funeral services for Jane Covington, 81, longtime journalist, will be at Levingston Funeral Home in Groves on Saturday, February 25, 2012 at 10:00 a.m. Burial will follow at Oak Bluff Memorial Park in Port Neches. A visitation will be held on Friday evening from 6:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m. at the funeral home. She died in Port Arthur on Tuesday, February 21, 2012. Jane, born August 8, 1930 in Trenton, Missouri received her Bachelor of Journalism degree in 1953 from the University of Missouri where she majored in news reporting and history and minored in newspaper editing and management, and in political science. While at Mizzou she was active in what would become the civil rights movement, helping register minority voters and conducting voter classes. Jane worked for newspapers in Missouri and Nebraska prior to coming to Port Arthur in March of 1956 to join the Port Arthur News staff. Following a "whirlwind courtship" she and Gordon Covington were married February 2, 1957. Jane and Gordon recently celebrated their 55th anniversary. Jane helped originate a Sunday TV section (one of the first in Texas) as well as The News' recipe contest and cookbook. She was responsible for creating a number of features and columns during her 30 plus years at The News and also helped The News widen minority coverage to include weddings, births and civic club activities in the early days of desegregation. During the 1970's as news editor of the Mid-County Chronicle, she hired one of the area's first female sports writers. In 1980 she returned to The News as a consumer writer later becoming Lifestyle editor. She was the first woman named to its editorial board. During her career, she received writing awards from the Associated Press and United Press as well as Texas Press Association. She was a finalist in the Prestigious Missouri-Penney news writing competition in 1980s for her series on how the economic downturn affected various segments of the petroleum-based East Texas area. In 1987 Jane was inducted into the Southeast Texas Women's Hall of Fame. In the late 1980's she and her husband, who had retired from Texaco, became antique dealers. Since Hurricane Rita they have become active SETICO volunteers, welcoming workers coming here from all over the country to rebuild homes damaged by Rita and Ike. Jane was active in the First United Methodist Church of Port Arthur, the Southeast Texas Collectors Club and Beta Sigma Phi Sorority. Her parents, Blanch and Jim Morris, her stepmother, Hattie Morris, and grandson, Daniel Avery, preceded her in death. Survivors include her husband, Gordon of Groves; daughters and spouses, Becky and Mike McCullough of Houston and Kathy and Keith Perry of Katy; and son and daughter-in-law, Kenneth and Claudine Covington of Anderson County, South Carolina; 11 grandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews. In lieu of flowers please send donations to Meals on Wheels of Port Arthur.