“Geaux west, old man.”
Well, that’s not exactly the way New York Tribune editor Horace Greely is most commonly credited having said it, but it works well for my story right now.
“Go west, young man,” is considered one of the great catchphrases of manifest destiny, an idea born in the 1800s out of the Louisiana Purchase.
According to Hostory.com, in 1823, President James Monroe invoked the phrase Manifest Destiny when he spoke before Congress to warn European nations not to interfere with America’s Westward expansion, threatening that any attempt by Europeans to colonize the “American continents” would be seen as an act of war. That policy was considered to be American policy of influence and of non-intervention in European affairs became known as the “Monroe Doctrine.”
Well, this old man is expanding west.
My name is T. Scott Boatright, and I am a longtime north Louisiana journalist and especially sports journalist. And I am the new sports editor of the Minden Press Herald.
I bring more than 35 years of experience involved in the north Louisiana sport scene with me. After earning my masters and bachelors degrees at Louisiana, I have held a number of jobs in the sports journalism field, including serving multiple stints as a sports information for both Grambling State and Louisiana Tech universities.
And I actually taught journalism at Louisiana Tech for years until they changed the course of that degree program.
On the newspaper side,I’ve worked for the sports department at the Monroe-News Star, including the role of prep sports editor. Most recently I served a long stint as editor, sports editor, layout and page designer for the Ruston Daily Leader.
It’s no secret that the journalism industry is facing tough and changing times right now, and that caught up to me in my late 50s. But as Alexander Graham Bell said, “When one door closes another door opens.”
That’s actually not all of Bell’s quote, which ends, “but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see the ones which open for us.”
Well the Press-Herald opened the door for me, and I am thrilled about the opportunity and hope to make the most of it.
Over the years I’m proud to say I’ve earned numerous awards from the Louisiana Press Association, Louisiana/Mississippi AP Managing Editors Association and the Louisiana Sports Writers Association.
That’s actually been an easy task because I’ve been doing what I love — serving north Louisiana sports fans and providing them with — painting the most vivid and accurate pictures with words — the information and news they want and need. That means providing coverage first and foremost of the people that matter most, our children. So you’ll see plenty of coverage surrounding Minden, Glenbrook, Lakeside, Doyline and North Webster athletics.
You’ll also find coverage about LA Tech, Grambling and Arkansas as well as the New Orleans Saints, Dallas Cowboys and New Orleans Pelicans.
Hopefully you’ll find my perspectives to be fresh and hopefully, sometimes, even a little fun.
Because this old dog is thrilled to be trying to learn some new tricks right here with the Press Herald.
T. Scott Boatright is Sports Editor of the Minden Press-Herald.
