03/06/2009

Maryjean Wall to be Inducted into The Kentucky Athletic Hall of Fame

Maryjean Wall, a doctoral student in the Department of History and a pioneering sports journalist, will be inducted into the Kentucky Athletic Hall of Fame on April 29 in Louisville.

“I would have never thought about it happening. It’s a surprise and very exciting,” Wall said.

Wall worked at the Lexington Herald-Leader for 41 years, the last 35 as the horse racing beat writer. She was one of the only women in the country covering horse racing when she began her career - one that included earning three Eclipse Awards and three John Hervery Awards for her journalistic excellence.

While working full-time and going to school part-time, Wall earned her undergraduate degree in history from UK in 1972. “It was very different back then – it seemed the entire newsroom was going to UK – working nights and going to school during the daytime.”

Wall said that majoring in history was essential to her success and that her history professors played a large role in teaching her how to write.

“History helps you to learn to think clearly, synthesize your thoughts, and analyze what is going on, and even though history is the study of the past all that parlays very usefully into journalism. I’m truly grateful for what I’ve learned from the department - and what I’m still learning.”

Returning to school in part-time fashion, Wall received her M.A. in 2003 and has been working toward her doctorate. Fittingly, her dissertation covers the history of the horse industry in Kentucky.

Click here to read the Herald-Leader article.