Wendell Mayes, Jr. *

1978 Pioneer Broadcaster of the Year

KNOW Austin

(Published September 2021)

Former TAB Chairman and Legendary Texas Broadcaster Wendell Mayes, Jr. passed away on September 12. He was 97.

The Mayes family’s broadcast holdings totaled 18 radio stations at one time or another, over a period of five decades.

Stations were located in Amarillo, Austin, Brownwood, Fort Worth, Midland, Snyder, Sweetwater, Victoria, Waco and Oklahoma City.

Mayes served many terms on the TAB Board of Directors, and his fellow broadcasters elected him Chairman in 1964.

TAB presented him with the Pioneer of the Year Award in 1978 and a Lifetime Achiement Award in 2017.

View video (starts at 52.25)

In 1973, Mayes helped create TAB’s scholarship foundation, the Texas Broadcast Education Foundation.

Over the years, he and his fellow broadcasters have raised hundreds of thousands of dollars to help deserving college and university students cover tuition and expenses.