Lucy Morgan

For other people named Lucy Morgan, see Lucy Morgan (disambiguation).

Lucy Ware Morgan^[2] (née Keen; October 11, 1940 – September 20, 2023) was an American long-time reporter and editorialist at the Tampa Bay Times (previously known as the St. Petersburg Times).^[3]

Lucy Morgan
Morgan, c. 1985
Born	Lucile Bedford Keen[1] (1940-10-11)October 11, 1940 Memphis, Tennessee, U.S.
Died	September 20, 2023(2023-09-20) (aged 82) Tallahassee, Florida, U.S.
Occupations	Reporter journalist
Spouses	Al Ware ​ (div. 1966)​ [1] Richard Morgan ​ (m. 1968)​ [1]
Children	3 (one deceased)

Life and career

Born in Memphis, Tennessee on October 11, 1940,^[4] Morgan began her career at the Ocala Star Banner in 1965,^[4] and moved to the St. Petersburg Times in 1968. While working full-time as a reporter, she attended Pasco-Hernando State College and received her associate degree.^[5]

In 1985, she and Jack Reed shared the Pulitzer Prize for Investigative Reporting for their coverage of corruption in the Pasco County Sheriff's Office; she was the first woman to win a Pulitzer Prize in that category.^[4] In another case, in 1973, she was convicted of contempt for refusing to disclose a confidential source; the Florida Supreme Court overturned the conviction in 1976.^[6] In 1982 she was a Pulitzer finalist for her investigation of drug trafficking in north central Florida counties.^[5][7] She became Capital Bureau chief in Tallahassee in 1986 and later worked on special projects and as a columnist.

A 2012 All Things Considered profile described Morgan as "an institution in Florida".^[8] Seven years after her first announced retirement^[9] led to a continued active reporting career, she announced her full retirement in January 2013.^[10]

Morgan was inducted into the Florida Women's Hall of Fame in 2006.^[11] In 2005 the Florida State Senate renamed its press gallery in her honor.^[9][12]

Morgan's investigation into a $49.6 million mortgage fraud/Ponzi scheme in Glenville, North Carolina (where she was retired) by the Miami developer Domenico Rabuffo — while he was in the United States Federal Witness Protection Program^[13] — was the subject of the American Greed episode "Goodfella Gone Bad".

Lucy Morgan died in Tallahassee on September 20, 2023, following complications from a fall in May. She was 82.^[1][14]