Five Journalism Hall of Fame inductees announced

The Kentucky Journalism Hall of Fame will add five journalists during a ceremony in April, UK announced Monday.

The UK School of Journalism and Telecommunications Alumni Association will present the awards April 14. The same day, the school will host the annual Joe Creason Lecture, to be given by Howard Fineman of Newsweek, MSNBC.com and NBC News.

The Kentucky Journalism Hall of Fame, established in 1980, honors Kentuckians who have made significant contributions to journalism. The selection is made by a committee representing the state’s media, the UK Journalism Alumni Association and UK.

The 2009 Hall of Fame inductees include:

  • Susan Allen, a former reporter and editor in Eastern Kentucky, who also worked for The State Journal in Frankfort and The Associated Press.
  • Byron Crawford, the original host of “Kentucky Life” on KET, a retired columnist for The Courier-Journal of Louisville, and a radio and TV reporter.
  • H. Harold Davis, a newspaper color photography pioneer with The Courier-Journal. He was the first photographer to photograph a U.S. president in color when he took a picture of Franklin D. Roosevelt.
  • Van Vance, a retired WHAS radio and TV sports reporter.
  • Thomas Shelby Watson, a news director at WAKY radio in Louisville and a Kentucky broadcast news editor for The Associated Press.