Carolyn Osborn, esteemed author, journalist, and educator, passed away at age 92 on Sept. 12 after suffering a fall in her home. Osborn taught English at UT-Austin for many years and published four collections of short stories, two novels, and a memoir in addition to years spent reporting for newspapers and radio stations. She was honored with the Lon Tinkle Lifetime Achievement Award from the Texas Institute of Letters in 2009, and her story “The Grands” was published in the 1990 O. Henry Prize Stories collection. Mother to Statesman reporter Claire Osborn, the celebrated writer also inspired countless students who attended her classes and is credited with giving Mary Margaret Farabee the idea to start the Texas Book Festival. Fellow teacher, journalist, and documentarian Joe O’Connell wrote that, to students, she was “a symbol that anything was possible,” and to Texas, “an important figure … with an important story to be shared.” Memorial services will be held on Friday, Oct. 9, at 2pm at Westminster Presbyterian Church.
Panciuto’s neon sign replaced Umarell’s block lettering at the corner of 45th and Guadalupe on Tuesday, Sept. 15, signaling a change in ownership and an alteration of identity for the recently opened Hyde Park spot. Helmed exclusively now by Mo Pittle of JewBoy Burgers and JewBoy Sliders following a split from Emmer & Rye Hospitality and Vespaio alum Mike Graffeo, Panciuto maintains the no-frills environment and laid-back Italian menu neighborhood customers had begun to get familiar with, while adding a few new dishes, vegetarian options, and lunch service. Focaccia pizzas and zucchini fries are among the fresh items, and staff plans on expanding beer and wine service into a full bar by the end of the year.
Temple Beth Shalom will become the stewards of a Torah scroll that survived the Holocaust, putting the artifact to active use beginning Friday, Oct. 2. The scroll, which the congregation has named the Slava Torah, originated in Prostějov, Moravia, Czech Republic and survived the destruction of European Jewish communities there. Welcoming this text is particularly well-timed, as the inaugural reading will happen during the Simchat Torah, the Jewish celebration of Torah that marks the beginning of a new annual reading cycle. “This Torah carries memory with it,” Rabbi Eleanor Steinman said in an article for the temple’s website. “It reminds us of the people and communities whose lives were destroyed by hate, and it also reminds us that Jewish life continues.”
This article appears in September 25 • 2026.
