Lucy Ware Morgan ( Keen; October 11, 1940 – September 20, 2023) was an American long-time reporter and editorialist at the Tampa Bay Times (previously known as the St. Petersburg Times). St. Petersburg Times - Aug 10, 2002
Life and career Born in Memphis, Tennessee on October 11, 1940,Elizabeth A. Brennan, Elizabeth C. Clarage, eds., Who's who of Pulitzer Prize Winners (Greenwood Publishing Group, 1999), , p. 356. Excerpts available at Google Books. Morgan began her career at the Ocala Star Banner in 1965, and moved to the St. Petersburg Times in 1968. While working full-time as a reporter, she attended Pasco-Hernando State College and received her associate degree.Alison Pruitt, "Breaking the mold in journalism" , Community College Times, April 6, 2012.
In 1985, she and Jack Reed shared the Pulitzer Prize for Investigative Reporting for their coverage of corruption in the Pasco County Sheriff's Office; she was the first woman to win a Pulitzer Prize in that category. In another case, in 1973, she was convicted of contempt for refusing to disclose a confidential source; the Florida Supreme Court overturned the conviction in 1976. St. Petersburg Times - Jul 31, 1976 page 13 In 1982 she was a Pulitzer finalist for her investigation of drug trafficking in north central Florida counties. St. Petersburg Times - Jun 22, 1982 page 34 She became Capital Bureau chief in Tallahassee in 1986 and later worked on special projects and as a columnist.
A 2012 All Things Considered profile described Morgan as "an institution in Florida".Noah Adams, "After Decades, Journo Still Covers Fla. Legislature", All Things Considered, January 31, 2012. Seven years after her first announced retirement"'St. Pete' Legend Lucy Morgan to Retire", Editor & Publisher, November 14, 2005. led to a continued active reporting career, she announced her full retirement in January 2013."Pulitzer Prize winning reporter Lucy Morgan retiring. Really." , Tampa Bay Times, January 7, 2013.
Morgan was inducted into the Florida Women's Hall of Fame in 2006."Lucy W. Morgan" , Florida Women's Hall of Fame (accessed 2013-08-26). In 2005 the Florida State Senate renamed its press gallery in her honor.George Michael and Michael Killenberg, Public Affairs Reporting Now: News of, by and for the People (CRC Press, 2012), , p. 106. Excerpts available at Google Books.
Morgan's investigation into a $49.6 million mortgage fraud/Ponzi scheme in Glenville, North Carolina (where she was retired) by the Miami developer Domenico Rabuffo — while he was in the United States Federal Witness Protection Program"Florida Developer Gets 27 Years in N.C. Mortgage Fraud Scheme" by Lucy Morgan Tampa Bay Times September 30, 2014; accessed August 26, 2016 — was the subject of the American Greed episode "Goodfella Gone Bad".
Lucy Morgan died in Tallahassee on September 20, 2023, following complications from a fall in May. She was 82.
References
External links Lucy Morgan Writers:, Tampa Bay Times "We The Journalists: Lucy Morgan", Society of Professional Journalists (South Florida Pro Chapter), May 24, 2013 (interview)