Bill Kezziah & JSK reunited

Harry Liggett got this email from former Beacon Journal reporter Bill Kezziah, which Harry passed on to me:

Hey, Harry:

To add to the BJ lore, I found in an estate sale recently some old B&Ws taken in the 1960s at Ascot Park.

The pictures were of winners of different races, but one -- framed -- that caught my eye was the "BJ Handicap" from April, 1960. In the middle was John Knight presenting a cup to the horse owner, a guy by the name of McIntyre.

The 8x10 glossy was probably shot by the park's photog and then hand-lettered by him. He burned three images on one sheet: the race, the cup presentation, and then a picture of the horse, owner, trainer, family.

The other pictures were of different races at different times. I was told the pictures were collectible because of the clothes the people were wearing. I wish the pictures had been signed.

If I remember, Ascot was torn down years ago for ... what?

Hope all is well in Akron.

Bill

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After I emailed Bill for more information, he replied:

John, this was a private estate sale near Charlotte, NC. These were B&Ws that were thrown on a table for $5 or so. I bought the JSK picture for obvious reasons and now have it hanging in my office at home.

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At my request, Bill provided personal information about himself since his 1967-1979 BJ days.

He was a weekly publisher for 20 years in Colorado. Bill taught journalism at the University of Colorado-Kearney. His research was credited in "Media Management in the 2003 "The Age of Giants" book by the University of New Mexico's Dennis F. Herrick.

Bill moved to Greenwood, SC in 2004 "to aid my elderly mother after my father's death. My mother died a year ago."

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Again at my request, Bill sent a recent photo of himself with son David in Savannah, GA.

Bill got his Bachelor of Arts from the University of North Carolina and his Master of Arts from the University of Akron.