Created in 2004 by the Southern Newspaper Publishers Association, the Frank W. Mayborn Leadership Award recognizes an industry executive for his or her vision, community leadership and contributions to the newspaper industry.
Frank Willis Mayborn, born Dec. 7, 1903, in Akron, Ohio, was an American philanthropist, soldier, newspaper editor, publisher and broadcaster. He began his newspaper career as a stringer in high school at The Denver Post, and then worked as an advertising salesman for The Dallas News. By 1946 he was editor and publisher of the Daily Telegram (Temple, Texas), and by 1978 he had created Frank Mayborn Enterprises, owner of newspapers, radio and TV stations.
He was president of the Southern Newspaper Publishers Association (which merged to become America’s Newspapers in 2019) in 1961-62. Mayborn passed away May 16, 1987.
