Robert C. Maynard
Encyclopedia
Robert Clyve Maynard was an American journalist, and newspaper publisher and editor, former owner of The Oakland Tribune
and co-founder of the Robert C. Maynard Institute for Journalism Education
in Oakland, California
.
to pursue his passion for writing, and later attended Harvard University
on a Nieman Fellowship
. Maynard became friends with influential New York writers James Baldwin
and Langston Hughes
and later acknowledged Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. as a hero.
In 1979, Maynard took over as editor of The Oakland Tribune
and became the first African American to own a major metropolitan newspaper after purchasing the paper four years later. He is widely recognized for turning around the then struggling newspaper and transforming it into a 1990 Pulitzer Prize
winning journal.
Maynard greatly valued community involvement. He taught at local high schools and frequently attended community forums. His positive, proactive outlook helped many in need including children of cocaine-addicted mothers and earthquake and firestorm victims. Maynard wielded the outreach of his newspaper to better the community by pushing for improved schools, trauma care centers, and economic development.
The Robert C. Maynard Institute for Journalism Education
In 1977, Maynard co-founded the Institute for Journalism Education, a nonprofit organization dedicated to training journalists of color and providing accurate representation of minorities in the news media. For more than thirty years, the Institute has trained over 1000 journalists and editors from multicultural backgrounds across the United States.
(1947–2008) was renamed in his honour after his death from prostate cancer
in 1993. His daughter, Dori J. Maynard
, has since become President and CEO of the Robert C. Maynard Institute for Journalism Education
.
The Oakland Tribune
The Oakland Tribune is a daily newspaper published in Oakland, California, by the Bay Area News Group , a subsidiary of MediaNews Group...
and co-founder of the Robert C. Maynard Institute for Journalism Education
Robert C. Maynard Institute for Journalism Education
The Robert C. Maynard Institute for Journalism Education , is a nonprofit organization based in Oakland, California emphasizing diversity in journalism...
in Oakland, California
Oakland, California
Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
.
Early years
Maynard was born of six children to Samuel C. Maynard and Robertine Isola Greaves, both immigrants from Barbados. At 16 years old, he dropped out of Brooklyn High SchoolBrooklyn Technical High School
Brooklyn Technical High School, commonly called Brooklyn Tech or just Tech, and also administratively as High School 430, is a New York City public high school that specializes in engineering, math and science and is the largest specialized high school for science, technology, engineering, and...
to pursue his passion for writing, and later attended Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
on a Nieman Fellowship
Nieman Fellowship
The Nieman Fellowship is an award given to mid-career journalists by The Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard University. This award allows winners time to reflect on their careers and focus on honing their skills....
. Maynard became friends with influential New York writers James Baldwin
James Baldwin (writer)
James Arthur Baldwin was an American novelist, essayist, playwright, poet, and social critic.Baldwin's essays, for instance "Notes of a Native Son" , explore palpable yet unspoken intricacies of racial, sexual, and class distinctions in Western societies, most notably in mid-20th century America,...
and Langston Hughes
Langston Hughes
James Mercer Langston Hughes was an American poet, social activist, novelist, playwright, and columnist. He was one of the earliest innovators of the then-new literary art form jazz poetry. Hughes is best known for his work during the Harlem Renaissance...
and later acknowledged Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. as a hero.
Career
Maynard’s career in journalism began in 1961 at York Gazette & Daily in York, Pennsylvania. In 1966, he received a Nieman fellowship to Harvard University and joined the editorial staff of the Washington Post the following year.In 1979, Maynard took over as editor of The Oakland Tribune
The Oakland Tribune
The Oakland Tribune is a daily newspaper published in Oakland, California, by the Bay Area News Group , a subsidiary of MediaNews Group...
and became the first African American to own a major metropolitan newspaper after purchasing the paper four years later. He is widely recognized for turning around the then struggling newspaper and transforming it into a 1990 Pulitzer Prize
Pulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...
winning journal.
Maynard greatly valued community involvement. He taught at local high schools and frequently attended community forums. His positive, proactive outlook helped many in need including children of cocaine-addicted mothers and earthquake and firestorm victims. Maynard wielded the outreach of his newspaper to better the community by pushing for improved schools, trauma care centers, and economic development.
The Robert C. Maynard Institute for Journalism Education
In 1977, Maynard co-founded the Institute for Journalism Education, a nonprofit organization dedicated to training journalists of color and providing accurate representation of minorities in the news media. For more than thirty years, the Institute has trained over 1000 journalists and editors from multicultural backgrounds across the United States.
Personal life
The Institute he co-founded with his second wife Nancy Hicks MaynardNancy Hicks Maynard
Nancy Alene Hicks Maynard was an American publisher, journalist, former owner of The Oakland Tribune, and co-founder of the Maynard Institute for Journalism Education...
(1947–2008) was renamed in his honour after his death from prostate cancer
Prostate cancer
Prostate cancer is a form of cancer that develops in the prostate, a gland in the male reproductive system. Most prostate cancers are slow growing; however, there are cases of aggressive prostate cancers. The cancer cells may metastasize from the prostate to other parts of the body, particularly...
in 1993. His daughter, Dori J. Maynard
Dori J. Maynard
Dori J. Maynard is the President of the Robert C. Maynard Institute for Journalism Education in Oakland, California, the oldest organization dedicated to helping the nation's news media accurately and fairly portray all segments of our society...
, has since become President and CEO of the Robert C. Maynard Institute for Journalism Education
Robert C. Maynard Institute for Journalism Education
The Robert C. Maynard Institute for Journalism Education , is a nonprofit organization based in Oakland, California emphasizing diversity in journalism...
.