Rev. Timothy Tooten, Sr., D.Min., affiliate professor of communication and media at Loyola who passed away on Saturday, Feb. 8, 2025, will posthumously receive the Legacy Award from the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ). The award will be presented during the NABJ’s 2025 Convention & Career Fair, which is scheduled to take place in Cleveland from Aug. 6-10, 2025.

The Legacy Award “recognizes a Black print, broadcast, digital, or photojournalist of extraordinary accomplishment who has broken barriers and blazed trails,” according to the NABJ, with honorees having “contributed to the understanding or advancement of people and issues in the African Diaspora.”

“As a Black journalist, Dr. Tooten broke barriers and blazed trails through his education reporting and left a lasting legacy for his community and among his colleagues and students,” shared Masudul Biswas, Ph.D., chair and professor of communication and media.

Tooten, who was 66 when he died, began teaching a class at Loyola in August of 2000 while working full-time as a broadcast journalist with WBAL-TV. He retired from WBAL in December of 2023 but continued to teach at Loyola. He offered courses at Loyola for almost 25 years, teaching hundreds of students.

One of those students, Christopher Nelson, ’08, will accept the Legacy Award on Tooten’s behalf at the NABJ Convention.

"Being from Baltimore, I grew up watching Dr. Tooten on TV, so years later to have him as a professor at Loyola was a gift,” said Nelson. “He was a terrific professor: passionate, knowledgeable, a clear communicator, and kind and empathetic."

Nelson, who is the director of talent relations and recruitment at NewsNation, now serves on Loyola’s Communication and Media Advisory Board, a resource for Loyola College, the University’s school of arts and sciences. He credits Tooten with helping to shape his career both during and after his time as a student at Loyola.

"After leaving Loyola and beginning my career, Dr. Tooten always kept in touch to offer a kind word,” recalled Nelson. “I was always happy to run into him from time to time at NABJ conventions. His optimism, his infectious spirit, and his unbounded encouragement of me as a young professional navigating the world of network television meant more to me than perhaps he knew."

About the NABJ

The National Association of Black Journalists is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that provides innovative, quality programs and services to its members. The organization advocates on behalf of Black journalists and media professionals in the U.S. and worldwide. NABJ’s membership is more than 4,000 strong and includes emerging journalists, professional journalists, student journalists, journalism educators, and media professionals of all kinds.