LOUISVILLE (WHAS11) -- WHAS11 is honoring a true legend in Louisville journalism, a shoe-leather reporter still on the beat!
You’ve read Sheldon Shafer’s news articles in The Courier-Journal for 44 years. He announced he’s retiring on Friday, Nov. 17.
Sheldon covered the city and county government beat for most of those years. His specialty was breaking big stories about new projects for our city.
He recently covered the topping off ceremony of the new downtown convention center. Until recently, Sheldon walked to all of his assignments in the city. When I would look out our window at 6th and Chestnut and see him passing by, I always wondered what scoop he had on the way.
In 2014 when he turned 70, the Mayor, former Mayor Jerry Abramson, and former County Judge, the late Dave Armstrong, dedicated a Waterfront Park bench in his name.
Sheldon has covered everything from the building of the Galt House hotels to the Omni. Since 1973 he also reported on the people who had fantastic ideas for our city: a Big 4 Bridge shopping center with condos, a new bridge for downtown Louisville (2015), and of course the Botanical Gardens, finally coming to life.
We say to Sheldon: You have our total respect and admiration.
If you’d like to send him a note of congratulations, here’s his email: sshafer@courier-journal.com