TFN Hall of Fame inducts Class of 2026

DALLAS – Greg Shrader, president of the Texas Newspaper Foundation, presented the 2026 class of inductees into the Texas Newspaper Hall of Fame.

Members of the class inducted during the Hall of Fame Awards luncheon at the TPA Convention & Trade Show in Dallas are:

William Blair Jr.

Oct. 17, 1921- Apr. 20, 2014

A former Negro League baseball player turned newspaper publisher, Williams Blair Jr. was a community voice in Dallas for over 40 years. Six months after enrolling at Prairie View A&M, Blair enlisted in the United States Army and became the youngest black first sergeant in the United States Army during World War II. Blair founded the Highlight News (1947-1957). He also later founded the Southwest Sports News, a newspaper that specialized in publishing scores from Black college games throughout the United States. The paper was renamed The Elite News in 1960. The Elite News continues digital publication with his son Darryl as publisher.

Burl Osborne

June 25, 1937 - Aug. 15, 2012

Best known as editor and publisher of The Dallas Morning News, Burl Osborne began his career as a correspondent for the Associated Press, based in Bluefield, West Virginia. His 20-year career with AP included 14 years on the board and five years as chairman. He also worked for 25 years as the editor and then the publisher of the Dallas Morning News.

He later became the president of News’ parent company’s publishing arm and a member of the board of directors before retiring in 2007 as a publisher emeritus.

Randy Mankin

Publisher of the Eldorado Success, the Big Lake Wildcat and the Devil’s River News, Randy Mankin is a past president of Texas Press Association. He also served as president of the West Texas Press Association and as a board member for the Texas Newspaper Foundation. The Mankin family has been in the newspaper business since 1994. They say the success of their three newspapers is rooted in the daily grind required to report the everyday happenings of the everyday people in and around Schleicher, Sutton and Reagan Counties.

Frank W. Mayborn

Dec. 7, 1903 - May 16, 1987

Frank W. Mayborn was editor, publisher and president of the Temple Daily Telegram (which also publishes the Fort Hood Sentinel); president of Channel 6 Inc., which operated KCEN-TV; president, editor and publisher of the Killeen Daily Herald; president of Frank Mayborn Enterprises Inc.; and president of the Frank W. Mayborn Foundation, which supports numerous worthy charitable, scientific, literary and educational projects within Central Texas.