Nellie Kenyon: Trailblazing Tennessee Journalist

In Person Location and Reservations
East Tennessee History Center, 601 South Gay Street, Knoxville, TN 37902 (Seating is limited.) Register on Eventbrite.

Online Reservations
Register on Eventbrite for this event streamed on Zoom

Or visit the ETHS Facebook page at the start of the program to watch this on Facebook Live.

Description
In a time when men dominated the field of journalism, Nellie Kenyon broke down barriers for women reporters. Working for the Chattanooga News, she covered the leadup to the Scopes Trial, helped catch a bank robber, and interviewed Al Capone on his way to prison. After joining the Nashville Tennessean, she did investigative reporting on the Georgia Tann adoption scandal, broke the story about a hidden tape recorder in the governor's office, and covered Jimmy Hoffa's trials in Tennessee. She chronicled some of the 20th century's most memorable episodes in her fifty-year career.

About the Speaker
Tyler L. Boyd is the author of the new book "Nellie Kenyon: Trailblazing Tennessee Journalist." Born and raised in Athens, he earned his B.A. in History and M.S. in Education from the University of Tennessee and has taught in Loudon, Bradley, and McMinn Counties. He is a Programs Committee member at the McMinn County Living Heritage Museum and Vice President of the McMinn County Historical Society. His first book, "Tennessee Statesman Harry T. Burn," won the East Tennessee Historical Society's Award of Distinction. His third book, coming in 2023, is about a brutal political machine in Polk County that was violently overthrown two years after the Battle of Athens.