Maynard Eaton has passed at 73. The 8-time EMMY Award-winning journalist stood as a leading figure in media for nearly 50 years.
He passed on May 23 in his sleep following a battle with lung cancer, according to Atlanta Voice.
Eaton began his journalism career in the 1970s after graduating from Hampton University in 1971.
After graduation, Eaton became the first Black newsperson to work at WVEC in Hampton, Virginia. He would also worked at WVEC in Miami, USA Today, BET and WXIA in Atlanta.
Eaton also worked as the National Communications Director for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), Dr. Martin Luther King’s Legacy Organization.
Eaton would stand out with his coverage in politics, particularly his articles on Georgia’s government.
In terms of awards, Eaton won eight EMMY Awards for TV news reporting, he was honored by the National Newspaper Publishers Award (NNPA), he won two Atlanta Association of Black Journalist awards for his excellence in writing and reporting, and multiple honors from the National Association of Black Journalists.
He would earn a Master’s of Arts degree from Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism. And he taught journalism at Hampton University and Clark Atlanta University.
