Lucy Morgan

Lucy Ware Morgan[2] (née Keen; October 11, 1940 – September 20, 2023) was an American long-time reporter and editorialist at the Tampa Bay Times (previously known as the St. Petersburg Times).[3]

For other people named Lucy Morgan, see Lucy Morgan (disambiguation).
Lucy Morgan
Morgan, c. 1985
Born
Lucile Bedford Keen[1]

(1940-10-11)October 11, 1940
Memphis, Tennessee, U.S.
DiedSeptember 20, 2023(2023-09-20) (aged 82)
Tallahassee, Florida, U.S.
Occupations
  • Reporter
  • journalist
Spouse(s)
Al Ware
​
(div. 1966)​
[1]
Richard Morgan
​
(m. 1968)​
[1]
Children3 (one deceased)

Life and career

Born in Memphis, Tennessee on October 11, 1940,[4] Morgan began her career at the Ocala Star Banner in 1965,[4] and moved to the St. Petersburg Times in 1968. While working full-time as a reporter, she attended Pasco-Hernando State College and received her associate degree.[5]

In 1985, she and Jack Reed shared the Pulitzer Prize for Investigative Reporting for their coverage of corruption in the Pasco County Sheriff's Office; she was the first woman to win a Pulitzer Prize in that category.[4] In another case, in 1973, she was convicted of contempt for refusing to disclose a confidential source; the Florida Supreme Court overturned the conviction in 1976.[6] In 1982 she was a Pulitzer finalist for her investigation of drug trafficking in north central Florida counties.[5][7] She became Capital Bureau chief in Tallahassee in 1986 and later worked on special projects and as a columnist.

A 2012 All Things Considered profile described Morgan as "an institution in Florida".[8] Seven years after her first announced retirement[9] led to a continued active reporting career, she announced her full retirement in January 2013.[10]

Morgan was inducted into the Florida Women's Hall of Fame in 2006.[11] In 2005 the Florida State Senate renamed its press gallery in her honor.[9][12]

Morgan's investigation of the $49.6 million mortgage fraud/Ponzi scheme run in Glenville, North Carolina, to where she had retired, by Miami developer Domenico Rabuffo — while he was in the United States Federal Witness Protection Program[13] — was the subject of the American Greed episode "Goodfella Gone Bad".

Lucy Morgan died in Tallahassee on September 20, 2023, following complications from a fall in May. She was 82.[1][14]

References
  1. Traub, Alex (September 29, 2023). "Lucy Morgan, Feared and Revered Florida Reporter, Dies at 82". The New York Times. Retrieved September 29, 2023.
  3. St. Petersburg Times - Aug 10, 2002
  4. Elizabeth A. Brennan, Elizabeth C. Clarage, eds., Who's who of Pulitzer Prize Winners (Greenwood Publishing Group, 1999), ISBN 978-1573561112, p. 356. Excerpts available at Google Books.
  5. Alison Pruitt, "Breaking the mold in journalism" Archived 2013-08-25 at archive.today, Community College Times, April 6, 2012.
  6. St. Petersburg Times - Jul 31, 1976 page 13
  7. St. Petersburg Times - Jun 22, 1982 page 34
  8. Noah Adams, "After Decades, Journo Still Covers Fla. Legislature", All Things Considered, January 31, 2012.
  9. "'St. Pete' Legend Lucy Morgan to Retire", Editor & Publisher, November 14, 2005.
  10. "Pulitzer Prize winning reporter Lucy Morgan retiring. Really." Archived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine, Tampa Bay Times, January 7, 2013.
  11. "Lucy W. Morgan" Archived 2010-06-05 at the Wayback Machine, Florida Women's Hall of Fame (accessed 2013-08-26).
  12. George Michael and Michael Killenberg, Public Affairs Reporting Now: News of, by and for the People (CRC Press, 2012), ISBN 978-1136033216, p. 106. Excerpts available at Google Books.
  13. "Florida Developer Gets 27 Years in N.C. Mortgage Fraud Scheme" by Lucy Morgan Tampa Bay Times September 30, 2014; accessed August 26, 2016
  14. "Lucy Morgan, Pulitzer-winning force of Florida journalism, dies at 82". Yahoo News. 2023-09-21. Retrieved 2023-09-21.
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