The Times

Issue date: 11/16/09 Section: Around Campus

Teacher: Fred Faour.



What he teaches: Journalism, Mass Communications.



Why he's interesting: Spider Monkeys, among other things.



According to National Geographic, "Spider monkeys live in the tropical rain forests of Central and South America and have long, lanky arms and prehensile tails that enable them to move gracefully from branch to branch and tree to tree. These nimble monkeys spend most of their time aloft, and maintain a powerful grip on branches even though they have no thumbs."

For Fred Faour, spider monkeys are a long-desired pet, and an animal that he makes dozens of references to throughout the semester. There are also crazy stories about a three-legged dog named Tina, amusing references to ex-wives, and several off-the-wall analyses of movies like Fight Club and Top Gun. To say the least, there is rarely a boring class with Faour.

It is my pleasure to introduce to you, the students of San Jacinto College, our new journalism teacher and faculty advisor for the San Jacinto Times, Mr. Faour. He is knowledgeable, humorous, and passionate.

Mr. Faour began his career in





journalism at the early age of 16, covering football games for Galveston Daily News, and answering phone calls for the Houston Chronicle on the weekends.

He attributes his early start in the field to his mom, who was the first woman sports editor in Texas, and to his dad, who spent 29 years working for the Chronicle.

He has spent time as a sports editor at the Chronicle and also ran the sports Web site. Since then, he has worked for several radio stations, and currently hosts a show on ESPN 97.5 FM?radio from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. called The Blitz.

He loves to play poker and even made it to the 2006 World Series Main Event. He has covered events such as the Super Bowl, baseball's World Series, the Democratic and Republican national conventions and the Kentucky Derby.

He also writes novels, screenplays, blogs and music and once tried to be a rock guitarist in Los Angeles.

When asked what he enjoys doing the most out of everything he has accomplished, Mr. Faour answers without any hesitation, "Teaching."

He says that teaching allows him the opportunity to present things to students that they cannot find anywhere else. With over 25 years experience in almost every form of journalism, he is able to offer students an insider's perspective of the continuously changing, yet exciting world of communications.

While the future of newspapers is uncertain, Mr. Faour's focus is to teach students how to write professionally and to teach them a writing style that is slowly disappearing with newspapers. Students who write for the San Jacinto Times can take the experience and writing skills they have learned throughout the semester and apply them to any career they choose such as advertising, public relations, and legal writing.

"There will always be a need for journalistic skills,"?he says. "Newspapers might not be there, but Web sites, TV, radio, newsletters...there are countless opportunities if you have the skills."

He considers the newspaper style a strong foundation for any form of writing because it is structured, methodical, chronological. It is simple, yet straight to the point, and if done right, it is objective.

Mr. Faour's goal for the San Jacinto Times is to convert the paper to a magazine style, and to expand the school's Web site and social media presence.

"We want to teach real skills that students can use no matter what field they choose. Hopefully, we can have a little fun along the way."

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