Age: 56 yrs.
S/O William Wicker Pennington & Carrie Beatrice (Patterson) Worsham Pennington
H/O (1) Marilyn (Johnson) Pennington (25 Aug 1930-9 Jun 2006); m 21 Jun 1951, Hendersonville, Henderson County, North Carolina, USA; div
F/O Penny Gail Pennington
F/O Jeffrey Lynn (Pennington) Tapia
F/O John Stuart Pennington
P/O Carol Anne (Ruckdeschel) Kemph Wharton Shoop; together 1973-c1977
H/O (2) Lois Mary (Bozenhard) Brown Pennington Bush (8 Jun 1951-26 Jan 2013); m c1978
F/O Jesse Wicker Pennington
Journalist; friend of President Jimmy Carter; husband of noted archaeologist and anthropologist Marilyn Johnson; partner of noted naturalist Carol Ruckdeschel.
Obituary, New York (NY) Times, 24 Nov 1980:
St. Petersburg, Fla., Nov. 23 (AP) —John S. Pennington, a reporter credited with spurring President Carter's political career by proving that vote fraud in Georgia cost him his first election, died today at the Bayfront Medical Center. He was 56 years old.
Mr. Pennington, who had cancer, was visited in the hospital by Mr. Carter in September.
Mr. Pennington spent the first 20 years of his journalism career in Atlanta. He joined the St. Petersburg Times in 1978 after a year in Washington as press secretary for Action, the social service agency.
He covered the landmark desegregation of Central High School in Little Rock, Ark., and wrote a series of stories that led to moves for prison reform in Georgia.
One of the hallmarks of his career was an investigation that proved vote fraud had deprived Mr. Carter of victory in a 1962 Georgia state Senate race, Mr. Carter's first bid for political office.
Mr. Carter, who was at Camp David and not available for comment, has credited Mr. Pennington's stories for spurring him to start a successful challenge to the election results and encouraging him to remain in politics.
Mr. Pennington was born in Andersonville, Ga., not far from Mr. Carter's hometown of Plains. He received his bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Georgia.
After military service in the Pacific in World War II, he joined The Atlanta Journal, became an investigative reporter and later city editor. He then became a writer-photographer for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution Magazine.
He received more than two dozen state and regional awards for excellence in journalism.
Among his survivors are his wife, Lum, their son and three children from a previous marriage, his mother and three brothers.
A memorial service ws planned for Tuesday in St. Petersburg.
Statement, President Jimmy Carter, 24 Nov 1980:
With the death of John Pennington, journalism has lost one of its most dedicated and effective practitioners. He was a resourceful and courageous investigative reporter, yet scrupulously honest and fair. The sensitivity and compassion reflected in his writing were in the highest tradition of southern journalism.
He was my good friend. Rosalynn and I are saddened by his passing and extend our deepest sympathy to his family.
S/O William Wicker Pennington & Carrie Beatrice (Patterson) Worsham Pennington
H/O (1) Marilyn (Johnson) Pennington (25 Aug 1930-9 Jun 2006); m 21 Jun 1951, Hendersonville, Henderson County, North Carolina, USA; div
F/O Penny Gail Pennington
F/O Jeffrey Lynn (Pennington) Tapia
F/O John Stuart Pennington
P/O Carol Anne (Ruckdeschel) Kemph Wharton Shoop; together 1973-c1977
H/O (2) Lois Mary (Bozenhard) Brown Pennington Bush (8 Jun 1951-26 Jan 2013); m c1978
F/O Jesse Wicker Pennington
Journalist; friend of President Jimmy Carter; husband of noted archaeologist and anthropologist Marilyn Johnson; partner of noted naturalist Carol Ruckdeschel.
Obituary, New York (NY) Times, 24 Nov 1980:
St. Petersburg, Fla., Nov. 23 (AP) —John S. Pennington, a reporter credited with spurring President Carter's political career by proving that vote fraud in Georgia cost him his first election, died today at the Bayfront Medical Center. He was 56 years old.
Mr. Pennington, who had cancer, was visited in the hospital by Mr. Carter in September.
Mr. Pennington spent the first 20 years of his journalism career in Atlanta. He joined the St. Petersburg Times in 1978 after a year in Washington as press secretary for Action, the social service agency.
He covered the landmark desegregation of Central High School in Little Rock, Ark., and wrote a series of stories that led to moves for prison reform in Georgia.
One of the hallmarks of his career was an investigation that proved vote fraud had deprived Mr. Carter of victory in a 1962 Georgia state Senate race, Mr. Carter's first bid for political office.
Mr. Carter, who was at Camp David and not available for comment, has credited Mr. Pennington's stories for spurring him to start a successful challenge to the election results and encouraging him to remain in politics.
Mr. Pennington was born in Andersonville, Ga., not far from Mr. Carter's hometown of Plains. He received his bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Georgia.
After military service in the Pacific in World War II, he joined The Atlanta Journal, became an investigative reporter and later city editor. He then became a writer-photographer for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution Magazine.
He received more than two dozen state and regional awards for excellence in journalism.
Among his survivors are his wife, Lum, their son and three children from a previous marriage, his mother and three brothers.
A memorial service ws planned for Tuesday in St. Petersburg.
Statement, President Jimmy Carter, 24 Nov 1980:
With the death of John Pennington, journalism has lost one of its most dedicated and effective practitioners. He was a resourceful and courageous investigative reporter, yet scrupulously honest and fair. The sensitivity and compassion reflected in his writing were in the highest tradition of southern journalism.
He was my good friend. Rosalynn and I are saddened by his passing and extend our deepest sympathy to his family.
Age: 56 yrs.
S/O William Wicker Pennington & Carrie Beatrice (Patterson) Worsham Pennington
H/O (1) Marilyn (Johnson) Pennington (25 Aug 1930-9 Jun 2006); m 21 Jun 1951, Hendersonville, Henderson County, North Carolina, USA; div
F/O Penny Gail Pennington
F/O Jeffrey Lynn (Pennington) Tapia
F/O John Stuart Pennington
P/O Carol Anne (Ruckdeschel) Kemph Wharton Shoop; together 1973-c1977
H/O (2) Lois Mary (Bozenhard) Brown Pennington Bush (8 Jun 1951-26 Jan 2013); m c1978
F/O Jesse Wicker Pennington
Journalist; friend of President Jimmy Carter; husband of noted archaeologist and anthropologist Marilyn Johnson; partner of noted naturalist Carol Ruckdeschel.
Obituary, New York (NY) Times, 24 Nov 1980:
St. Petersburg, Fla., Nov. 23 (AP) —John S. Pennington, a reporter credited with spurring President Carter's political career by proving that vote fraud in Georgia cost him his first election, died today at the Bayfront Medical Center. He was 56 years old.
Mr. Pennington, who had cancer, was visited in the hospital by Mr. Carter in September.
Mr. Pennington spent the first 20 years of his journalism career in Atlanta. He joined the St. Petersburg Times in 1978 after a year in Washington as press secretary for Action, the social service agency.
He covered the landmark desegregation of Central High School in Little Rock, Ark., and wrote a series of stories that led to moves for prison reform in Georgia.
One of the hallmarks of his career was an investigation that proved vote fraud had deprived Mr. Carter of victory in a 1962 Georgia state Senate race, Mr. Carter's first bid for political office.
Mr. Carter, who was at Camp David and not available for comment, has credited Mr. Pennington's stories for spurring him to start a successful challenge to the election results and encouraging him to remain in politics.
Mr. Pennington was born in Andersonville, Ga., not far from Mr. Carter's hometown of Plains. He received his bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Georgia.
After military service in the Pacific in World War II, he joined The Atlanta Journal, became an investigative reporter and later city editor. He then became a writer-photographer for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution Magazine.
He received more than two dozen state and regional awards for excellence in journalism.
Among his survivors are his wife, Lum, their son and three children from a previous marriage, his mother and three brothers.
A memorial service ws planned for Tuesday in St. Petersburg.
Statement, President Jimmy Carter, 24 Nov 1980:
With the death of John Pennington, journalism has lost one of its most dedicated and effective practitioners. He was a resourceful and courageous investigative reporter, yet scrupulously honest and fair. The sensitivity and compassion reflected in his writing were in the highest tradition of southern journalism.
He was my good friend. Rosalynn and I are saddened by his passing and extend our deepest sympathy to his family.
S/O William Wicker Pennington & Carrie Beatrice (Patterson) Worsham Pennington
H/O (1) Marilyn (Johnson) Pennington (25 Aug 1930-9 Jun 2006); m 21 Jun 1951, Hendersonville, Henderson County, North Carolina, USA; div
F/O Penny Gail Pennington
F/O Jeffrey Lynn (Pennington) Tapia
F/O John Stuart Pennington
P/O Carol Anne (Ruckdeschel) Kemph Wharton Shoop; together 1973-c1977
H/O (2) Lois Mary (Bozenhard) Brown Pennington Bush (8 Jun 1951-26 Jan 2013); m c1978
F/O Jesse Wicker Pennington
Journalist; friend of President Jimmy Carter; husband of noted archaeologist and anthropologist Marilyn Johnson; partner of noted naturalist Carol Ruckdeschel.
Obituary, New York (NY) Times, 24 Nov 1980:
St. Petersburg, Fla., Nov. 23 (AP) —John S. Pennington, a reporter credited with spurring President Carter's political career by proving that vote fraud in Georgia cost him his first election, died today at the Bayfront Medical Center. He was 56 years old.
Mr. Pennington, who had cancer, was visited in the hospital by Mr. Carter in September.
Mr. Pennington spent the first 20 years of his journalism career in Atlanta. He joined the St. Petersburg Times in 1978 after a year in Washington as press secretary for Action, the social service agency.
He covered the landmark desegregation of Central High School in Little Rock, Ark., and wrote a series of stories that led to moves for prison reform in Georgia.
One of the hallmarks of his career was an investigation that proved vote fraud had deprived Mr. Carter of victory in a 1962 Georgia state Senate race, Mr. Carter's first bid for political office.
Mr. Carter, who was at Camp David and not available for comment, has credited Mr. Pennington's stories for spurring him to start a successful challenge to the election results and encouraging him to remain in politics.
Mr. Pennington was born in Andersonville, Ga., not far from Mr. Carter's hometown of Plains. He received his bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Georgia.
After military service in the Pacific in World War II, he joined The Atlanta Journal, became an investigative reporter and later city editor. He then became a writer-photographer for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution Magazine.
He received more than two dozen state and regional awards for excellence in journalism.
Among his survivors are his wife, Lum, their son and three children from a previous marriage, his mother and three brothers.
A memorial service ws planned for Tuesday in St. Petersburg.
Statement, President Jimmy Carter, 24 Nov 1980:
With the death of John Pennington, journalism has lost one of its most dedicated and effective practitioners. He was a resourceful and courageous investigative reporter, yet scrupulously honest and fair. The sensitivity and compassion reflected in his writing were in the highest tradition of southern journalism.
He was my good friend. Rosalynn and I are saddened by his passing and extend our deepest sympathy to his family.
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