Lane Crockett
| Lane Tyler Crockett (Shreveport syndicated | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
| Born | November 8, 1941 Ballinger, Runnels County Texas Resident of Shreveport, Louisiana, 1968-2024 | ||
| Died | October 4, 2024 (aged 82) Shreveport, Louisiana Resting place: | ||
| Political Party | Independent | ||
| Spouse | Single Parents | ||
| Military Service | |||
| Service/branch | United States Air Force | ||
| Years of service | 1964-1968 | ||
| Rank | Assigned to Medical Service Corps unit in Japan. He also wrote articles for Stars & Stripes military newspaper | ||
Lane Tyler Crockett (November 8, 1941 – October 4, 2024)[1] was the retired entertainment writer and theater/arts critic of The Shreveport Times, the largest newspaper in North Louisiana. While he was at The Times, Gannett syndicated Crockett for a decade as a film and television writer. Sometimes called the "prince of performance critics," he subsequently wrote entertainment articles from 2004 to 2008 for The Forum Newsweekly, an Internet and print newspaper which circulates in northwestern Louisiana and East Texas.[2]
Biography
Crockett was born in Ballinger in Runnels County, Texas, to D. B. Crockett (1915–2007), a World War II veteran and the owner for many years of Bal-Tex Distributing Company,[3] and the former Wanda D. Lane (1919–2004).[4] Located northeast of San Angelo in West Texas with a 2024 estimated population of 3,564, Ballinger calls itself "The Greatest Little Town in Texas." D. B. and Wanda Crockett were active in the Christian Church in Ballinger.[5]
Crockett graduated in 1960 from Ballinger High School and obtained bachelor's degrees in 1964 in both journalism and history from Texas Tech University in Lubbbock.[2] For three years, he was the entertainment editor for the Texas Tech studet newspaper, The Daily Toreador. After graduation, he entered the United States Air Force for four years and wrote for the military newspaper, Stars & Stripes.[6] In 1968, at the age of twenty-six, Crockett moved to Shreveport to join the staff of the since defunct Shreveport Journal under then publisher Douglas Fisher Attaway. In 1977, after Attaway had already sold The Journal to businessman and professor Charles T. Beaird, Crockett joined the staff of The Shreveport Times, at which he remained until his retirement in 2004.[2][1] Crockett in retirement resided in Shreveport and was involved in various cultural activities and is a strong supporter of the Shreveport Symphony Orchestra and the Shreveport Arts Council.[2] A Shreveport blogger wrote that Crockett "has the ability to touch upon all aspects of a performance, from book to players to the scene. His writing has a conversational flow but demonstrates deep background. While his critical remarks are moderate - focus on what he omitted to get the full tale - they fulfill a distinct need."
Crockett died a month before his 83rd birthday of vascular disease at Willis Knighton Medical Center in Shreveport. He never married. In addition to his parents, he was predeceased by his sister and brother-in-law, Linda and Wayne Johnson. His two nieces, Vicki Johnson Rieken and husband Jay and Cynthia Johnson Spreen and husband Kevin, reside in Ballinger, Texas.[3][1]
According to his obituary, Crockett possessed the "ability to cross-reference books, plays, and films with their authors, playwrights, directors, and actors."[1]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Lane Tyler Crockett obituary. The Shreveport Times. Retrieved on October 12, 2024.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Lane Crockett. linkedin.com. Retrieved on May 16, 2015.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 D. B. Crockett. findagrave.com. Retrieved on October 13, 2024.
- ↑ Wanda Lane Crockett. findagrave.com. Retrieved on May 16, 2015.
- ↑ Wanda Crockett. San Angelo Standard-Times (April 20, 2004). Retrieved on May 16, 2015.
- ↑ "Miss Minden Pageant Judges Announced", Minden Press-Herald, March 20, 1975, p. 1.
