Nancy Hicks Maynard facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Nancy Hicks Maynard
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| Born |
Nancy Alene Hall
November 1, 1946 Harlem, New York City, USA
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| Died | September 21, 2008 (aged 61) |
| Education | Long Island University Stanford Law School |
| Known for | Maynard Institute co-founder |
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Notable credit(s)
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The New York Times The Washington Post The Oakland Tribune |
| Spouse(s) | Robert C. Maynard (1975–1993†) Daniel D. Hicks (1965–1974†) |
| Partner(s) | Jay T. Harris |
| Children | Dori J., David and Alex |
Nancy Alene Hicks Maynard (November 1, 1946 – September 21, 2008) was an important American journalist and newspaper owner. She helped start the Maynard Institute for Journalism Education. She was also the first African-American woman to work as a reporter for The New York Times.
Nancy Maynard was known for supporting more diversity in newsrooms. This means she wanted to see more people from different backgrounds working in journalism. At the time of her death, The Oakland Tribune was the only major daily newspaper owned by African Americans.
Contents
Nancy Maynard's Early Life
Nancy Alene Hall was born in Harlem, New York City. Her father, Alfred Hall, was a jazz musician, and her mother, Eve Keller, was a nurse.
Nancy became interested in journalism when she was young. A fire destroyed her elementary school. She felt that the news stories about her community were not fair or complete. This made her want to tell stories better herself. She studied journalism at Long Island University Brooklyn and graduated in 1966.
Nancy Maynard's Career in Journalism
Working at The New York Times
Nancy Maynard started her journalism career at the New York Post. She joined The New York Times in September 1968 when she was 21. Soon after, she helped cover a big school issue in Brooklyn. This event led to a citywide teachers' strike.
After less than a year, Nancy became a full-time reporter. This made her the first African-American woman reporter at The New York Times.
In her early years at the Times, Nancy covered important stories about race. She reported on race riots and student protests at universities. She also covered political events, like a memorial for Robert F. Kennedy. Later, she wrote about education and health care. In 1973, she traveled to China to study their medical system. She wrote about interesting topics like the Medicare system and even how whiskers are arranged on a lion's face!
Starting the Maynard Institute
In 1977, Nancy and her husband, Robert C. Maynard, started the Robert C. Maynard Institute for Journalism Education. This institute is in Oakland, California. Nancy was its first president.
The institute helps train and prepare many minority students for careers in journalism. It teaches them how to be news editors, managers, and other roles. Nancy was on the board of the institute until 2002.
Owning The Oakland Tribune
In 1983, Nancy and her husband bought The Oakland Tribune. The newspaper was not doing well financially at the time. Under their ownership, The Oakland Tribune became the first major daily newspaper owned by African Americans.
Nancy and Robert worked together as co-publishers for almost 10 years. They were known for bringing a lot of diversity into the newspaper's newsroom. After Robert C. Maynard passed away in 1993, Nancy sold the paper.
Nancy Maynard's Personal Life
Nancy Maynard had her first child, a son named David, with her first husband, Daniel D. Hicks. After Daniel passed away in 1974, she married Robert C. Maynard in 1975. Robert already had a daughter, Dori. Together, Nancy and Robert had their third child, Alex. Robert Maynard passed away in 1993.
Nancy Maynard lived in Santa Monica, California, with her partner Jay T. Harris. She passed away in 2008 at the age of 61 after an extended illness.
See also
- Women in journalism and media professions
