Journalist Russell Carollo plans to write book on the Peace Corps and he has contacted an agent to represent him
Where are they now?
Thursday, November 25, 2004 1:50 PM CST
[Excerpt]
Those who Stayed in the Field
Topping the list of those who stayed in the field of journalism is Russell Carollo, who worked at the Texarkana Gazette in two stints totaling about two-and-a-half years during the 1980s.
Carollo's accomplishments would take a book to fill, but among them are a Pulitzer Prize, and three Pulitzer finalist placements, in 1992, 1996 and 2002.
He has also earned five Investigative Reporters & Editors awards, Harvard University's Goldsmith Award, the Society of Professional Journalists National Award for Investigative Reporting, the White House Correspondents Association Edgar A. Poe Award, the Gerald R. Ford Prize for Distinguished Reporting on the National Defense, the Clark Mollenhoff Award for Investigative Reporting, the John Hancock Award, the Polk Award, two National Headliner Awards, fellowships from the University of Michigan and the International Center for Journalists, and numerous state and regional awards.
He's worked on major newspapers, such as the Los Angeles Times, and taught journalism at Colorado College.
He now writes for the Dayton (Ohio) Daily News, doing special projects.
"I like covering more in-depth, long-term stories," he says.
His journeys read like a world map of a reporter's dream assignments. He's spent time in Costa Rica, Japan, Zaire during the refugee crisis, covered troop deployment to Bosnia, worked on Peace Corps projects in Cape Verde, Africa, the Ukraine, Bolivia, El Salvador and Guatemala, and traveled through Croatia, Yugoslavia, Estonia, Italy, Spain and the Central Africa Republic.
And while most reporters gather in bunches, Carollo is a lone wolf of sorts, looking for something apart from the rote in his stories.
"I try to find places without a lot of reporters," he said.
The Gazette was a training ground for the young reporter, a graduate of both Louisiana State University and Southeastern Louisiana University.
"It's a very newsy area, somewhat isolated in a way," he recalled, noting that Texarkana is a long way from the major papers of Dallas, Little Rock and other large cities.
He said during his tenure in Texarkana, he spent a lot of time tracking down and reporting on the failings of local government. One story involved an election where the doors on a black precinct were locked.
"The same guy had been opening the door every day for years, and all of a sudden they couldn't find the key," he said.
Another investigation he worked on prompted a grand jury investigation of a local police department. His stories raised eyebrows within the city and created what he says were some tense moments.
"I was on the dance floor at Mother's (a popular local club at the time), and got paged. The caller asked me if I had been drinking," Carollo said. "I could see Texas Boulevard, and there were two cars waiting there."
Instead of risking a DWI, he left on foot and walked home, listening to the scanners tracking his progress as he went.
Carollo worked on many significant stories while in Texarkana, yet it troubled him that he never saw any major reforms while he was in the city.
"You could dump a load of gravel on the street, and the next morning it would be smoothed over," he said.
Carollo had a nose for news, colleagues recall, and was dogged in his pursuit of a story. Even as he was preparing to leave Texarkana, a hanging in Bowie County caught his attention.
"I left before I could finish it, and I've always regretted that," he said.
His future plans include a book on his Peace Corps work, and he has contacted an agent to represent him.
