Tommie “T.L.” Lee Wyatt, longtime publisher of East Austin’s The Villager newspaper, died in his sleep on Jan. 9 after a long illness. He was 88.
Wyatt arrived in Austin in 1962, a life insurance salesman and former college football player who was inspired by the Civil Rights Movement. He was passionate about uplifting the achievements of Austin’s Black residents and promoting equality at a time when the city was still largely segregated. To that end, he co-founded The Villager in 1973.
“We wanted to put together the historical record of the Black community and the good things about the Black community,” Wyatt told KUT in 2020. “In our daily papers, all you could see when we made the front page is when an African American had done something bad.”
The free community paper has now been in print for more than 50 years, and is still distributed at businesses in East Austin and beyond. The Villager has added considerably to Austin’s record of African American history, as was recognized by an exhibit at the Austin History Center in 2020.
"[Wyatt] speaks about the goodness of Black people," said kYmberly Keeton, an archivist who worked on the exhibit. "When you look at other newspapers, you won't get to see the debutants. You won't get to see the straight-A students that come from our community being featured weekly."
Wyatt’s son, Thomas Wyatt, now serves as The Villager’s editor.
“‘Pops’ was beyond an extraordinary father, grandfather, and great grandfather,” Thomas wrote of his father in the paper’s Jan. 16 edition. “He loved unconditionally and displayed an aura of dignity, esteem and fortitude unmatched by anyone I’ve ever known.”
Thomas told KUT his dad was a family man who loved golf and the lottery. But he also credits him with bolstering Austin’s East Side through a range of ventures in business, politics and civic leadership — such as his creation of the “Youth Brigade,” a section of the paper that promoted literacy by inviting local schoolchildren to write articles.
He describes his father as “soft-spoken, yet determined,” someone “dead set” on promoting equal representation for the people of East Austin.
“Whenever somebody from the East Side wanted to do something, they came to my dad — even the city officials,” Thomas told KUT. “They would get his point of view and pick his brain."
He became a lifeline between East Austin residents and officials, Thomas said — always keeping his focus on the well-being of his neighbors.
While attending the Austin MLK Community March and Festival on Monday, several community leaders discussed T.L. Wyatt’s legacy with KUT. Doug Greco, the current chair of the Travis County Democratic Party and former executive director of Central Texas Interfaith, said Wyatt had been an integral leader who worked closely with many local congregations.
“His voice was one of the key voices for the African American community, defining and talking about the issues that affected Black Austinites,” Greco said. “He will be sorely missed, and his legacy is going to be fondly remembered by the Travis County Democratic Party.”
Jeffrey Clemmons, communications director for Texas state Sen. Sarah Eckhardt and a self-identified “Eastsider,” called Wyatt a “landmark” of his community.
“[He was] a total giant that will be dearly missed,” Clemmons said. “Starting a community paper like The Villager is so important, especially at a time when Black journalism was not being appreciated or respected.”
Wyatt is survived by his son, a granddaughter and two great grandchildren.
KUT's Luz Moreno-Lozano contributed to this report.
