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Weekly 150

The Washburns (Part IV): The Legacy Continues

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Since 1948 and up to the present day, a member of the Washburn Family has worked under The McKenzie Banner flag. Starting with James and moving from Joel to his daughter Brittany, a third-generation now helps in the management of Tri-County Publishing, Inc. (TCP).
As time has passed, the Washburn family has witnessed many changes in the newspaper industry. What started as a labor of love, with each line of lead type and each page set by hand and carefully carried to the printing press, is now a mostly digital operation. As a child, Brittany helped prep newspaper negatives; now all pages are sent to press as PDFs.
Brittany Mae Washburn was born November 1985 to Joel and Teresa Brawner Washburn at McKenzie Regional Hospital. Like her father, Brittany spent much of her youth working in some form or fashion at the Banner. This included stuffing newspapers on Monday nights, collating print jobs, and stuffing envelopes.
After high school, she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Journalism from Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) with an emphasis in Media Design, and minors in Computer Information Systems and Psychology. While at MTSU, she was mentored by some of the best in the industry. Kent Flanagan, former AP Bureau chief, was an editing guru who taught the trade with passion. Ray Wong, a retired graphic designer for the Tennessean, used to say, “If you feel good about [your design]… something’s wrong. There’s always room for improvement.” His passion for photography was infectious.
In 2008, Brittany interned at the Daily News Journal (DNJ) in Murfreesboro. In 2010, she was hired on at the same location, but worked at Community Print Operations Center (CPOC) that produced three dailies and one weekly newspaper: The DNJ, The Leaf-Chronicle, The Jackson Sun, and Stewart Houston Times. CPOC was a test-case for Gannett’s Design Studio where a handful of graphic designers were crammed into cubicles churning out news pages for 17 newspapers in the southeast.
CPOC was a baptism-by-fire experience that revealed how a newspaper operates at a fast pace on a larger stage.
She officially joined the TCP staff in January 2009 as a graphic designer, left in 2010, came back in May 2011. Since 2013, she has held the role of composition supervisor.
Brittany’s duties include: branding and marketing for TCP and its divisions; overseeing newspapers and projects from planning to production; quality control; copy editing; web and social media presence; troubleshooting and brand development — “Which is just a fancy way of saying, ‘Dad keeps me busy,’” Brittany added.
In August of 2013, Brittany met the love of her life, Jason R. Martin. By December of that same year, they were engaged and married the following May.
Jason serves as the Commercial Print and Promotional Manager of TCP. He graduated from McKenzie High School and holds advanced degrees in education and history from Bethel University and Fort Hays State University.
In June of 2015, after over a decade dedicated to teaching, Jason left public education to join the family business.
He started as a journalist with much of his time devoted to training in the print shop. After a year, he assumed the position of the commercial print shop manager.
Wanting to make a difference, Jason joined Gleason Rotary Club in January 2016. While in Gleason, he held various positions including public relations officer, vice-president, club president (2017-2018), and chairman of the Helipad Construction Committee. In July 2018, he was selected to serve as assistant district governor supervising the clubs of Camden, Gleason, McKenzie and Paris.
After the 2019 Rotary year, Jason decided to transfer to the McKenzie Club. Currently, he sits on various committees at the district and club level.

His dedication to Rotary and its motto, “Service Above Self” has led him to be recognized as Rotarian of the Year in 2016 and a Paul Harris +2 recipient.
Jason has always had a passion for politics and government. In July 2017, he was appointed and later elected to the McKenzie City Council representing Ward-II. In 2018, he was appointed council liaison to the City of McKenzie Regional Planning Commission.
The legacy continues with Jason and Brittany’s children, Charles James “CJ” and Savannah Rose Martin. CJ, 20 months old, is named after his late great-grandfather James Loyd Washburn and grandfather Charles Martin. Savannah, 3 months old, is named after her maternal great-grandmother Rosa and paternal great aunt Rose.
CJ and Savannah spend most days with their parents at the family business. CJ’s antics keep the atmosphere light-hearted during the day. Brittany added, “No matter where this road takes us in the future, I want [CJ and Savannah] to feel like they can make their own path.”
The newspaper business has changed a lot since 1948. One thing that hasn’t changed is the need for a community newspaper.
On behalf of the Washburn family, it has been an honor and privilege to dedicate our legacy to bringing you the news. Thank you for reading.

Jason R. Martin

B.S. • M.A.Ed • MLS
Councilman, Ward II
Rotary Dist. 6760, Asst. Governor
WestStar Class of 2019
P: 731.352.3323
E: jmartin@mckenziebanner.com

Jason Martin is a life-long resident of McKenzie. He graduated from McKenzie High School in 2000; earned a Bachelor of Science in History from Bethel College in 2004; a Masters in Education from Bethel University in 2009 and a Masters in History and Humanities from Fort Hays State University in 2011.