He has won several Emmys and Peabody Awards for his contributions to the field of journalism. Rather was born Daniel Irvin Rather Jr. on October 31, 1931 in Wharton, Texas to Byrl Veda Page and Daniel Sr., a pipeline worker. Shortly after his birth, the family moved to Houston, where Rather grew up. He attended Sam Houston State University, where he worked for the school newspaper and a local radio station, and he also reported for the Associated Press, United Press, and the Houston Chronicle. The mass communications building at Sam Houston State was renamed in his honor in 1994.