Wikipedia Biography / Profile Background
Introduction :
- Wayne Dawson is a renowned American newscaster and co-host of Fox 8’s morning show in Cleveland, Ohio. He currently also serves as a pastor at Grace Tabernacle Baptist Church in Mayfield Rd, Cleveland, OH.
- Wayne’s story is one of perseverance, faith, and redemption. Despite facing significant challenges and setbacks in his youth, he was able to overcome many obstacles and go on to achieve great success in both his television career and his role as a pastor.
Personal Life : Parents, Family and Education
- Wayne Dawson was born on April 24, 1955, in Cleveland, Ohio.
- Growing up in Cleveland’s East Side, Wayne was a star student who earned straight A’s and wore thick glasses. However, his family faced many challenges, including his parents’ arguments and his father leaving home, when Wayne was a child.
- In junior high, Wayne started hanging out with the wrong crowd and got addicted to bad substances. One night, he was in a car with a bag of m**juana when the police pulled them over for driving a stolen car. While he was not charged, Wayne wonders what would have happened if he had been arrested and how it would have affected his future.
- Despite these challenges, Wayne was determined to turn his life around. He graduated from Shaw High School, after attending summer school to earn his diploma. He then followed his friend to Cuyahoga Community College, where he took remedial math to get his academics together and pursued his passion for sports journalism by writing for the school paper.
- Later, he transferred to Kent State University, where he obtained a degree in Broadcasting in December 1979.
- Wayne’s hard work and determination paid off when eventually he landed a part-time job at FOX-8 in Cleveland. He worked his way up the ranks and eventually became the co-host of the prime morning news spot. But Wayne’s success was not limited to his TV career. He also became the pastor of Grace Tabernacle Baptist Church in Lyndhurst, where he preaches the word of God and offers guidance and support to his congregation.
- Wayne is a twice-married man…he and his second wife Millie have a daughter named Danielle Dawson. He also has four children from his first wife, Laverne.
Career, Salary and Net Worth :
- Wayne is best known as the co-anchor of FOX 8 News in the Morning, Cleveland’s top-rated morning show, which airs weekdays from 4:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. He has been with Fox 8 News for almost four decades (started in the 1980s).
- Before joining Fox 8 News, Wayne worked at WUAB-TV in Cleveland and then in Atlanta at WSB-TV.
Interesting Facts, Height and Trivia :
- Wayne Dawson is 5 feet 7 inches tall with moderate weight.
- He has brown eyes and black hair.
- In June of 2007, Dawson made a lighthearted remark directed towards his colleague, Kenny Crumpton, during the Fox 8 in the Morning news program, suggesting that Crumpton possessed the ability to “play a skin flute”. A video of the incident was subsequently uploaded to YouTube, however, WJW-TV Channel 8 promptly requested its removal. He was also implicated in a separate incident involving a remark made by his co-anchor, Kristi Capel, in which she used the term “jiggaboo”.
- Wayne’s memoir, The Seeds of Greatness Are Within You, co-written with Deante Young, offers insight into the lessons Wayne’s learned along the way. Through his story, Wayne hopes to inspire others who may be facing similar challenges and show them that with hard work, determination, and faith, anything is possible.
Awards and Contribution :
- Wayne has received several awards for his work, including a Regional Emmy and the William Taylor Alumni award from Kent State University.
- An acclaimed member of the NAACP and the Phi Beta Sigma fraternity, he has also been named one of the Jaycees’ “Outstanding Young Men of America.”
- Wayne and his brother William Dawson founded the Dawson Foundation, which is focused on serving the “least among us” and provides college scholarships, coats, gloves, and hats for inner-city children, meals for the homeless, and workshops for high school students.
Wayne Dawson’s story is a strong reminder of how faith can transform a person’s life. Despite facing challenges in his youth, he was able to turn his life around and achieve success as a TV personality and pastor. His story inspires those who may be struggling and gives hope that there is always a way forward.