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Created page with "'''Craig Walton Durrett''' (January 13, 1955 – May 11, 2015) was a journalist whose longest tenure was with ''The Shreveport Times'' in his adopted city of Shrevep..."
'''Craig Walton Durrett''' (January 13, 1955 – May 11, 2015) was a [[journalist]] whose longest tenure was with ''The Shreveport Times'' in his adopted city of [[Shreveport]], [[Louisiana]].
==Biography==
A native of El Dorado in Union County in southern [[Arkansas]], Durrett was the only child of George Walton Durrett (1926-1977), originally from Panola County, [[Mississippi]], and the former Henrietta Burge (born c. 1929). His parents married in Union County in 1950. His father, who died at the age of fifty, is interred at Arlington Memorial Park in El Dorado.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=88274620
He studied at [[Louisiana Tech University]] in [[Ruston, Louisiana|Ruston]] under Wiley W. Hilburn, Jr. He joined ''The Shreveport Times'' in September 1978 and focused on general coverage of neighboring Bossier City until 1983, when he relocated to [[Monroe, Louisiana|Monroe]], where he became the city editor of ''The News-Star''. From 1987 to 1991, he became the state editor and held other positions too with the since defunct ''Arkansas Gazette'', absorbed by the ''Arkansas Democrat-Gazette'', published since 1991 by Walter E. Hussman, Jr. Durrett returned to ''The Shreveport Times'' in 1991, at which he was a reporter, columnist, assistant managing editor in 1994, and his final position, editorial page editor in December 2002. He was particularly known for his wisdom, wit, compassion, and community leadership.<ref name=obit/>
''The Shreveport Times'' publisher Alan English recalled that Durrett "wrote, edited and guided countless stories for decades ... and through the appropriate lens. ... Craig didn't know when work started and ended, because he lived journalism. He could be found putting the punctuation on a late editorial and up the next morning to meet someone for breakfast. Craig was a storyteller."<ref name=cdurrett/>
On April 15, 2012, in his last ''Shreveport Times'' column, Durrett said that he was "leaving the notebooks, [but] taking the memories" with him. "My love for journalism took hold at Louisiana Tech University. Newspapering has provided an interesting way to make a living and an outstanding way to get to know this community. ... All along the way, there were encounters with many great people, those folks who made me and my wife choose to make [[North Louisiana]] home. ... This is a wonderful community that can only get better with an informed public."<ref name=cdurrett>{{cite web|url=http://www.shreveporttimes.com/story/news/local/2015/05/11/craig-durrett-veteran-journalist-dies/27150069/|title=Craig Durrett, veteran journalist, dies|publisher=''The Shreveport Times''|author=John Andrew Prime|date=May 11, 2015|accessdate=May 15, 2015}}</ref>
After he retired from ''The Times'' in 2012, Durrett worked three years as assistant news director for KTBS-TV, the [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] outlet in Shreveport, which was established the year that Durrett was born.<ref name=obit/>
Durrett died from complications of disseminated zoster virus. A memorial service was held on May 16, 2015, at the First [[Presbyterian]] Church in Shreveport.<ref name=obit/>He is survived by his wife, the former Miriam Kaye Lokey (born August 1955), of Shreveport;<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.voterportal.sos.la.gov/Home/Home?uid=671536|title=Miriam Durrett|publisher=[[Louisiana Secretary of State]]|accessdate=May 15, 2015}}</ref> daughter Elizabeth Durrett Rose and husband, John Rose, of [[Dallas]], [[Texas]]; son Philip and wife, Marie, also of Dallas; and his mother, Henrietta Durrett of El Dorado.<ref name=obit>{{cite web|url=http://www.shreveporttimes.com/story/news/local/2015/05/13/craig-durrett-memorial-services-set/27232453/|title=Craig Durrett memorial services set|date=May 14, 2015|author=John Andrew Prime|accessdate=May 16, 2015}}</ref>
Former ''Shreveport Times'' editor Judy Pace Christie (born December 1956), who operates a consulting service, offered this analysis of Durrett: "He cared about the news, but he cared about people more. He approached each story and column with a sense of fairness and a kind heart, committed to helping our community be well-informed. He blessed countless people in his professional and personal life."<ref name=cdurrett/>
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Durrett, Craig}}
[[Category:Louisiana People]]
[[Category:Arkansas]]
[[Category:Journalists]]
[[Category:Presbyterians]]
==Biography==
A native of El Dorado in Union County in southern [[Arkansas]], Durrett was the only child of George Walton Durrett (1926-1977), originally from Panola County, [[Mississippi]], and the former Henrietta Burge (born c. 1929). His parents married in Union County in 1950. His father, who died at the age of fifty, is interred at Arlington Memorial Park in El Dorado.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=88274620
He studied at [[Louisiana Tech University]] in [[Ruston, Louisiana|Ruston]] under Wiley W. Hilburn, Jr. He joined ''The Shreveport Times'' in September 1978 and focused on general coverage of neighboring Bossier City until 1983, when he relocated to [[Monroe, Louisiana|Monroe]], where he became the city editor of ''The News-Star''. From 1987 to 1991, he became the state editor and held other positions too with the since defunct ''Arkansas Gazette'', absorbed by the ''Arkansas Democrat-Gazette'', published since 1991 by Walter E. Hussman, Jr. Durrett returned to ''The Shreveport Times'' in 1991, at which he was a reporter, columnist, assistant managing editor in 1994, and his final position, editorial page editor in December 2002. He was particularly known for his wisdom, wit, compassion, and community leadership.<ref name=obit/>
''The Shreveport Times'' publisher Alan English recalled that Durrett "wrote, edited and guided countless stories for decades ... and through the appropriate lens. ... Craig didn't know when work started and ended, because he lived journalism. He could be found putting the punctuation on a late editorial and up the next morning to meet someone for breakfast. Craig was a storyteller."<ref name=cdurrett/>
On April 15, 2012, in his last ''Shreveport Times'' column, Durrett said that he was "leaving the notebooks, [but] taking the memories" with him. "My love for journalism took hold at Louisiana Tech University. Newspapering has provided an interesting way to make a living and an outstanding way to get to know this community. ... All along the way, there were encounters with many great people, those folks who made me and my wife choose to make [[North Louisiana]] home. ... This is a wonderful community that can only get better with an informed public."<ref name=cdurrett>{{cite web|url=http://www.shreveporttimes.com/story/news/local/2015/05/11/craig-durrett-veteran-journalist-dies/27150069/|title=Craig Durrett, veteran journalist, dies|publisher=''The Shreveport Times''|author=John Andrew Prime|date=May 11, 2015|accessdate=May 15, 2015}}</ref>
After he retired from ''The Times'' in 2012, Durrett worked three years as assistant news director for KTBS-TV, the [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] outlet in Shreveport, which was established the year that Durrett was born.<ref name=obit/>
Durrett died from complications of disseminated zoster virus. A memorial service was held on May 16, 2015, at the First [[Presbyterian]] Church in Shreveport.<ref name=obit/>He is survived by his wife, the former Miriam Kaye Lokey (born August 1955), of Shreveport;<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.voterportal.sos.la.gov/Home/Home?uid=671536|title=Miriam Durrett|publisher=[[Louisiana Secretary of State]]|accessdate=May 15, 2015}}</ref> daughter Elizabeth Durrett Rose and husband, John Rose, of [[Dallas]], [[Texas]]; son Philip and wife, Marie, also of Dallas; and his mother, Henrietta Durrett of El Dorado.<ref name=obit>{{cite web|url=http://www.shreveporttimes.com/story/news/local/2015/05/13/craig-durrett-memorial-services-set/27232453/|title=Craig Durrett memorial services set|date=May 14, 2015|author=John Andrew Prime|accessdate=May 16, 2015}}</ref>
Former ''Shreveport Times'' editor Judy Pace Christie (born December 1956), who operates a consulting service, offered this analysis of Durrett: "He cared about the news, but he cared about people more. He approached each story and column with a sense of fairness and a kind heart, committed to helping our community be well-informed. He blessed countless people in his professional and personal life."<ref name=cdurrett/>
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Durrett, Craig}}
[[Category:Louisiana People]]
[[Category:Arkansas]]
[[Category:Journalists]]
[[Category:Presbyterians]]