Wlaf1450TOP PHOTO: This edition of the La Follette Press is from Thursday, February 13, 1975, with a cost of 15-cents.
By Jim Freeman
LAFOLLETTE, TN (WLAF) – The long time publisher- editor of the La Follette Press has died. Larry Smith (above photo) passed away Thursday.
As with any death of someone you know, memories begin surfacing. That was indeed the case when I heard the sad news of Larry Smith’s passing. From the summer of 1971, when we first met, until today, Larry K. was always Mr. Smith to me. Namely, because he was my first employer or at least the first employer that paid me. I also worked at WLAF, and since I was only 14-years- old, the on the air experience served as my pay.
Larry Smith’s lower front page Publisher’s letter was a staple in the early years of his tenure with the La Follette Press.
Smith spent his career in journalism, editing and publishing weekly newspapers and retiring after 33 years as publisher- editor of the La Follette Press. Smith also taught journalism courses for more than 15 years at UT, Knoxville, and earned an MS in Communications there.
My job at the Press was to cover the La Follette Owls football games and write a weekly story. The pay was $5 a game. I got into the games for free and had money just in time for Christmas. “I can pay you five dollars each week or, if you like, pay you a lump sum at the end of the season,” Mr. Smith said. I went with the lump sum plan.
Memories of Mr. Smith include that first paying job to seeing him walking his dog most days in the neighborhood. But the lasting impression Mr. Smith left with me was that he was just a level headed person doing what he loved. (WLAF NEWS PUBLISHED – 12/27/2019-6AM)
Thanks for posting, and for sharing. My first newspaper job was with Larry Smith, and yes, he was always Mr. Smith to me, too. He was a real gentleman, and a gentle man. He will be missed.