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Wednesday, June 19, 2019

Bob McGaughey, journalism education leader and rural-journalism advocate in West Kentucky, dies at 76

By Al Cross, director and professor
Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues, University of Kentucky

Rural journalism lost a great friend and an effective champion this week with the death at 76 of Dr. Bob McGaughey, who ran the accredited journalism program at Murray State University in far Western Kentucky for 23 years and was on the school's faculty for 41 years. He always had a hearty greeting, sharp thoughts and a funny story.

Robert McGaughey III, Ph.D.
My favorite tale from "Doc" is the one about the one-galloused farmer who walked into the Todd County Standard office in Elkton and said "I want to renew my perscription." The weekly newspaper employee behind the desk smiled and replied, "So, you want to know what's going on, right?" The farmer said, "I already know what's going on. I want to see who got caught."

My friend had many accomplishments, as recounted by David Snow of The Paducah Sun. They included more than 40 presentations at national conferences, the Kentucky Journalism Hall of Fame and the Kentucky Press Association's Distinguished Service Award. For 10 years, he was executive director of the now-defunct West Kentucky Press Association. I think WKPA, with which I was first affiliated in 1973, lasted as long as it did largely because of Bob McGaughey.

The visitation is today and the funeral is tomorrow, on the Murray campus. The obituary is here

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