Silsbee editor retires after 7 decades in the newspaper industry

TCCJ Director Austin Lewter with retiring Silsbee Editor Dan Eakin

Dan Eakin, 85, editor of the Silsbee Bee, announced his retirement in July after almost seven decades in the newspaper industry. 

By AUSTIN LEWTER, Texas Center for Community Journalism

A reception was held in his honor Aug. 1 at the Bee office.

Eakin began his career as a copy boy and typesetter at the DeQueen Bee in his hometown of DeQueen, Arkansas, when he was still in high school. 

Dan graduated high school in 1957 and has seen the news business change a lot over the years. 

He has been a trusted co-worker and mentor to generations of community journalists. I know. I was one of them.

Dan and I worked together for almost 10 years at the Whitesboro News-Record.

His no-nonsense approach to news writing, coupled with his keen ability to tactfully navigate communities and their issues, served as a model early in my career.

Another former co-worker, Jason Chlapek, agreed.

“Dan was a doer. He wrote a breaking news story with the same finesse as a feature story,” Chlapek said. “Dan was a pillar of the community and was a friend to many. It was a privilege to not only work with him, but also be a member of his church. It’s a greater privilege to be his friend.”

Chlapek is the area managing editor of the Taylor Press and Elgin Courier. He also formerly worked at the News-Record.

Martin Friedenthal is a graduate student at the University of North Texas where he is pursuing a master of journalism degree. 

Years ago, Dan gave him his first story assignment.

“It was over that kid who won the tie-down roping contest. That was my first-ever story in an actual print newspaper,” Friedenthal said. “Dan was also the reason I applied for an internship at StarLocalMedia. I knew he did good work there at the Lewisville Leader, and I wanted to follow in his tracks… Overall, I wish him the best in health and happiness, and just hope that he can enjoy his life, after having a front row seat to history.”

Juwan Lee is the assistant sports editor at the Tulsa World. He was under Dan’s tutelage at his first job after college as a sports writer.

“Dan was one of my first professional editors. I learned quickly that there was still a tremendous number of things I didn’t know about journalism — none bigger than how important community journalism could be,” Lee said. “His patience, guidance and honesty shaped the journalist I am today. How he was spoken of around the community influenced the type of reporter I wanted to be. The journalism world was lucky to have someone like Dan. His retirement is well deserved and I know his impact on every newsroom he was a part of will last long after his final edit.”

Dan’s newspaper career has included stints in Texarkana, Lufkin, Tyler, Wichita Falls, The Dallas Morning News, Pilot Point, Red Oak, Mexia, Coppell, Canton and Whitesboro to name a few. 

He had been the editor in Silsbee since 2023 when he left Whitesboro to be  closer to family. 

Dan was at the Lufkin News when it won a Pulitzer Prize in 1977. 

He covered the Texas Legislature for the Tyler Morning Telegraph in the 1970s and was dispatched to Washington, D.C. to cover Jimmy Carter’s inauguration.

To date, Dan has either photographed or interviewed every Texas governor since John Connally. He owned and published East Texas Senior in the 1980s — a niche publication that covered 25 counties in the Piney Woods. Dan was honored the TPA Golden 50 award in 2024.