The Grayson County Historical Society (GCHS) earlier this week hosted retired journalist, KET Host and author Byron Crawford at the Grayson County Extension Office.
In front of a crowd of approximately 70 attendees, Crawford, a columnist with the Louisville Courier Journal from 1979 to 2008, “shared many stories from his thirty years of traveling the back roads of Kentucky, including several that he has written about people in the audience,” GCHS President Scotty Gore said.
He also posed for pictures and signed copies of his book “The Back Page.”
Crawford told Kentuckians’ stories, either on WHAS-TV or in print, in four decades – the 70s through the 2000s – and traveled what surely seemed like millions of miles on Kentucky’s backroads chasing interesting, informative and entertaining stories about Kentucky natives. Through his travels, he wrote over 5,0000 stories.
Crawford additionally hosted the first five seasons of KET’s Emmy Award winning series “Kentucky Life.”
“The San Francisco Chronicle once described Byron as the Courier Journal’s ‘muddy shoes reporter,’ and the late Charles Kuralt of CBS News called him ‘the best storyteller in Kentucky, if you count only the ones who tell the truth,’” Gore shared.
Following his talk, Crawford was presented with a key to the city of Leitchfield and a Grayson County Commemorative Coin. The items were bestowed on him by Gore on behalf of Mayor Harold Miller and Judge-Executive Kevin Henderson, who were unable to attend the meeting.
“We appreciate everyone who joined us for the General Meeting and all those whose continued support of the Grayson County Historical Society helps make programs like this possible,” Gore said. “Thank you.”
Crawford’s son, Eric Crawford, is a former sportswriter for the Louisville Courier Journal and since 2012 has been a featured sportswriter/broadcaster for WDRB TV and WDRB.com.
(Headline photo l-r: Grayson Co. Historical Society Pres. Scotty Gore, Byron Crawford, all photos courtesy of GCHS)
By Ken Howlett, News Director
Contact Ken at ken@k105.com
