Last week, Taylor’s first African-American Publisher/Area Editor Jason Hennington celebrated a decade in the spotlight, but it almost didn’t happen.
As a sophomore in high school, Hennington said he needed an elective and decided to give photography a try.
“I took it as a blowoff class,” Hennington recalled. “I learned how to roll film, take pictures, everything, and my instructor, John Powell said, ‘This is something you should stick with.’” And stick with it he did, not just with photojournalism, which he first learned through working at Taylor High School’s former monthly publication “The Cotton Boll,” but also as a news reporter/photographer for “The Sull Ross Skyline” at Sul Ross State University, where he received Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts degrees and worked post-graduation for nearly five years, including as a lecturer.
But in his wildest dreams, Hennington said he never expected to wind up back in his hometown doing what he loved.
“Although I never thought I would come back to Taylor, everywhere I went, I wore Taylor on my sleeve,” he said.
However, Hennington said God had different plans for him and his wife, Tynna whose nursing career led the couple back to the Austin area, which helped Hennington eventually land a job as a news reporter at the Taylor Press after “bouncing around” between portrait studios.
Last week, Hennington celebrated his 10th year at the paper, working his way up from cub reporter, to news editor to publisher to area editor, which involves overseeing not only the Taylor Press, but also its sister paper, The Elgin Courier.
“I have only known Jason for a short time, just a few months but in that time, I have found him to be a dynamic and caring person,” said boss Thomas Edwards, the executive editor of Granite Media Partners, the parent company of the Taylor Press. “He has got amazing institutional memory. He is from Taylor. He has got a great sense of humor, and a lot of people don’t know this, but he is also a rap star. It has been just incredible working with him. I salute his 10 years at the Taylor Press, and I hope he will give us 10 more and maybe even more than that.”
Hennington said he relishes the opportunities journalism offers.
“I never thought that I would be at a state volleyball game and at the Governor’s Mansion with the governor in the same week,” he said.
Despite his earlier misgivings about returning, Hennington said he feels so fortunate to be close to his family again, especially his parents and his sister Heather, with whom he is very close.
“It’s a blessing to be home,” said Hennington, who now lives in Hutto with his wife and two daughters. “Coming from West Texas, I had to work to establish myself as a reporter out there. Here there are people who know me. I didn’t want to let my family down. I didn’t want to do anything to embarrass my family.”
But the opposite has proven to be true, say friends and colleagues.
Longtime family friend and current Taylor Independent School District trustee Shorty Mitchell said he couldn’t believe 10 years had already passed, easily recalling a gradeschool- aged Jason playing the organ and piano in his family’s living room, and now inspiring thousands of people through his example.
“He means a lot to the community, especially being born and raised here, and the first African-American publisher at the Press,” Mitchell said. “I think he is an asset to Taylor, and he is giving other young folks around Taylor, Texas, inspiration that they can also become a journalist, whether it’s from Taylor or anywhere else in the United States.”
Former Taylor Press Publisher Dennis Wade, now publisher at Coastal Bend Publishing Co., remembers Hennington early on in his career as being dependable and driven by curiosity — a critical ingredient for a good reporter.
“In his leadership role, I did promote him to editor of the Taylor Press, and he was very serious about it, very committed,” he said. “The role … is as ‘player coach.’ You have to do both coaching and writing, and he did a really good job, but Jason was also a good ambassador to the brand, and that’s so important in our world.”
Taylor ISD’s Community Liaison Tim Crow said he admires Hennington so much, he invited him to appear as the first local graduate for the district’s “Taking Flight” series on Youtube.
“I had the chance to ask him about his path that led to the successful work he does today,” Crow said. “He said a mentor once told him to become a one-man band. In other words, to learn how to do everything. Specifically, he said he wrote as much as possible and learned to pay attention to details, learning every aspect of the job while on the job. Instead of just taking photos of a game, he would learn about the players, talk to people in the stands, and write about it. That dedication to learning the skills of his profession certainly shows in his work today.”
Mayor Brandt Rydell said Taylor has greatly benefitted from Hennington’s contributions.
“The value of a community newspaper and its commitment to journalism on the local level can’t be overstated,” Rydell said. “We are fortunate to have the Taylor Press as such an integral part of our community. And we are especially fortunate that the Press has Jason Hennington with his tireless dedication to covering issues of importance in Taylor, keeping our residents well-informed, and telling their stories. We congratulate Jason on his 10 years of incredible work at the Press, and we look forward to many, many more.”
