Daniel Irvin Rather, Jr. is a 1953 graduate of Sam Houston State Teachers College, earning a bachelor's degree in journalism. He spent the following year as a journalism instructor on campus.

After covering Hurricane Carla in 1961, he was hired by CBS News and was part of the Dallas-based crew covering President Kennedy�s visit and subsequent assassination in 1963.� Rather reported from Washington as White House correspondent as well as other locations around the world. In 1975, Rather became a contributor to the news program, 60 Minutes.

Rather assumed anchor and managing editor duties of the CBS Evening News in March, 1981, a position he held for 24 years, until March, 2005; he left CBS in 2006.� Rather currently hosts Dan Rather Reports on HDNet, a high-definition cable television network. In 1994, the Communication Building was renamed in his honor.