Sue Mayborn

Established in 1969, the Founders Medal is one of Baylor’s most distinguished awards and is reserved for men and women whose service and contribution have been unusually significant to the life and future of the University. Sue Mayborn certainly fits that criteria.

In more than 40 years of support, service and leadership as a member of the Baylor Family, Mayborn has invested in numerous ways to further the Baylor University mission and provide support to generations of students. She is the owner, editor and publisher of the Temple Daily Telegram and the Killeen Daily Herald. However, she is known throughout Texas for her commitment to journalistic excellence and support of higher education.

“Sue Mayborn’s deep and abiding commitment to higher education has made her a true friend of Baylor University and so many other Central Texas colleges and universities,” Baylor President Linda A. Livingstone, Ph.D., says. “We are truly grateful for her vision and support, and we celebrate this opportunity to honor a true champion for Baylor University.”

Reserved and intentional, Mayborn holds high ideals of integrity in business and involvement in community service. She graduated from Gatesville [Texas] High School before attending Baylor and the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor. Her late husband Frank Mayborn was heavily involved in developing Temple and the surrounding area.

Sue was executive vice president of Frank Mayborn Enterprises Inc. in 1979, and the couple married two years later. Following Frank’s death in 1987, Sue became president/owner of KCEN-TV Waco and Frank Mayborn Enterprises Inc. and its subsidiaries. She remains active in the leadership of Frank Mayborn Enterprises Inc.

The Mayborn’s involvement with Baylor began through Frank’s friendship with U.S. Rep. William R. Poage, B.A. 1921. Frank led efforts to raise funds for The W.R. Poage Legislative Library at Baylor in 1978, beginning an enduring legacy of support. Sue has continued this legacy with support for the Baylor Libraries; the Department of Journalism, Public Relations & New Media; the Mayborn Museum; and the Baylor in Washington program, to name a few.

Sue is a Baylor Alumna Honoris Causa, a Herbert H. Reynolds Award for Exemplary Service recipient and the 2015 Pro Texana Medal of Service honoree. She played a major role in the building of the Sue & Frank Mayborn Natural Science and Cultural History Museum Complex at Baylor and continues to support its ongoing improvements.

Additionally, Sue created the Sue Mayborn Endowed Scholarship Fund in Journalism. Through the years, she has met with students who have benefited from the scholarship and those who have participated in the Baylor in Washington program.

“A common thread has been that they want to pay it forward and also make a difference in someone’s life,” Sue says. “That is rewarding.”

Sue has a deep commitment to higher education and excellence in teaching in journalism. She is president of The Frank W. & Sue Mayborn Foundation, which primarily focuses on supporting young people and education, as well as dozens of initiatives, including youth and educational programs, museums and hospitals, to support these commitments.