TN journalist Duren Cheek dies


Duren CheekTom Humphrey has the news about the death of retired UPI Tennessee bureau chief and Tennessean reporter Duren Cheek.

Cheek’s bio on his Facebook page says:

Spent most of my life in the news business. Started
with UPI before graduating from UT. Got so frustrated as a beginner
that I marched down to the Marine Corps recruiting office and was ready
to sign up. Fortunately, the Sergeant was out for coffee and I came to
my senses and got out of there before he got back. I began my career
at the Knoxville UPI bureau, located in the News-Sentinel City Room.

Update: Jim East’s obit on Cheek (via Knight Strivender). The money graph  drawn from the book Down to the Wire UPI’s Fight for Survival:

“Beating the AP was the most fun you could have standing up,” he wrote.
“One minute you’re typing in hog markets, and the next minute you’re
telling the world that Elvis is dead.”

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