Lawrence retiring after 50 years

Jul. 8—Keith Lawrence, the Messenger-Inquirer's longest-tenured reporter, is retiring after more than 50 years with the newspaper.

Lawrence, 75, is a Ballard County native who found a journalism career and home in Owensboro.

He joined the staff in January 1972. Since then, he's covered everything from mom-and-pop businesses to U.S. presidents.

According to Lawrence, being a journalist is all he ever wanted to do since discovering it in high school.

"When I was a freshman, my English teacher asked us to write poetry ... and whatever I wrote she took across the hall to the journalism teacher and asked her to run it in the (school) newspaper — and they did," Lawrence said. "She told me I should take journalism next year. I didn't think I could do any of that stuff, but I did it and fell in love with it.

"I've been writing for some kind of newspaper since September 1963."

While in that journalism class, he met his wife, Sandy, whom he married a year after graduating from high school.

Sandy Lawrence said it was journalism that brought her husband out of his shell.

"Keith is really a shy person," she said. "But it was being a reporter that allowed him to talk to anyone."

Lawrence pursued his newfound passion at Murray State University, where he would write for the Murray State News and eventually earn his bachelor's degree in journalism and master's degree in communications.

In February 1970, Lawrence received his draft notice for the Vietnam War, but he was allowed to graduate from college before entering the military.

Lawrence was sent to Fort Hood, Texas, where he furthered his journalism talents by working on the post's newspaper.

Although he did spend time writing newsletters, Lawrence said he took on heavier stories that would help him later in civilian life.

"We did a lot of things that weren't fluff pieces," he said. "We investigated off-post housing. People would buy up an old army barracks and turn it into eight apartments. These were World War II army barracks, and people were being charged outrageous rents."

Lawrence was honorably discharged after less than two years and began looking for a journalism job.

His first attempt was working for a start-up shopper — a free weekly community paper — in Erin, Tennessee.

"It lasted about two months and we quit," Lawrence said. "We were working about 80 hours a week. We were salary and didn't get any overtime."

That's when Lawrence reached out to Murray to see if anyone there was aware of any newspaper openings.

Lawrence said there was a weekly in Benton and a daily in Owensboro that were hiring.

"I had enough of weekly newspapers so I applied up here," he said.

Prior to his starting at the Messenger-Inquirer on Jan. 24, 1972, Lawrence had only made two brief visits to Owensboro — once in high school and during a plane layover from basic training.

And when he and his wife, Sandy, moved to the city, Lawrence said he didn't think it would be permanent.

"I thought two years and I'd go look for something else," he said.

Five decades later, Lawrence has written countless stories and planted roots in Owensboro. The Lawrences have one son — Christopher — who's a writer for the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

In his time with the Messenger-Inquirer, Lawrence not only covered local and state stories but also national ones.

Among them were the 1988 Republican and Democratic conventions and the first inauguration of U.S President Bill Clinton in 1993. He also spent a week with U.S. Sen. Wendell Ford in Washington, D.C., before he retired.

But for Lawrence, it has been community journalism that mattered most; knowing he was supposed to be the "eyes and ears" of the readers was something he took seriously.

"I always wanted to know why somebody was the way they were," he said.

On Thursday, Mayor Tom Watson presented the Mayor's Award for Excellence to Lawrence in appreciation for his coverage of community issues.

"He always treated the city and all of us fair," Watson said. "...nKeith will be hard to replace. The stories he tells are accurate, and you don't have to worry about him editorializing your comments."

It was last year that Lawrence's dedication to his craft was recognized by his being inducted into the Kentucky Journalism Hall of Fame.

For Lawrence, it was an accolade that capped off his career.

"It's definitely the pinnacle," he said.

As a journalist, Lawrence has a unique writing style that is concise but still manages to convey all the pertinent information, said Matt Francis, Messenger-Inquirer executive editor.

He also has a work ethic that is unmatched, having never taken a sick day in 50-plus years at the paper, and the ability to cover multiple areas from business to government to entertainment, Francis said.

"But what truly sets Keith apart is his ability to keenly understand this community and the readers of this newspaper," Francis said. "They feel a connection with him, as he does with them, and I think he always understood what a privilege it is to be a part of informing and entertaining a community through journalism. He never took that for granted, and I think readers recognize and appreciate that. I know I certainly do."

Mike Weafer, Messenger-Inquirer publisher, said Lawrence will be missed by both the newspaper and its readers.

"It's not very often that you get to use words like 'hall of fame' and 'icon' when you are describing someone, but you would not describe Keith's work at the Messenger-Inquirer without using them," Weafer said. "Keith has meant so much to us and to this community."

Although Lawrence is retiring from his full-time position at the newspaper, he will continue his column and write news stories as a freelancer.

And along with being proud of being affiliated with the newspaper, Lawrence said it's been special watching Owensboro and Daviess County blossom as a community.

When he first moved here, Lawrence said the Frederica Street sassafras tree, known as the largest in world, was the biggest attraction.

But with the riverfront revitalization, the growth on Kentucky 54 and destinations such as the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame & Museum, Lawrence said there's no place else he'd rather be.

"Owensboro has come a long way; people who can't find something to do in Owensboro aren't looking very hard," he said. "But through the years, I've found out that Owensboro is whatever you want it to be."

Don Wilkins, dwilkins@messenger-inquirer.com, 270-691-7299