Frank Barrows papers

Frank Clemence Barrows was born on November 2, 1946 in Lewes, Delaware to John and Myra Barrows. Frank grew up in Martinsville, Virginia where his newspaper career began working for the Martinsville Bulletin while in high school. He attended St. Andrews College in Laurinburg, North Carolina, where he received his Bachelor's Degree. After college, Barrows did a short stint at the Greensboro Daily News before moving to the Charlotte Observer, where he would remain for most of his career.

Barrows began work at the Observer in 1969 as a sports columnist and special projects reporter, where he covered ACC basketball and interviewed such important figures as UNC basketball coach Dean Smith. In 1981, he moved up into newsroom management and in 1987 was one of two city-desk editors who directed the investigation into televangelist Jim Bakker, which won the Pulitzer Gold Medal for Public Service. In 1992, Barrows became the managing editor of the Charlotte Observer and remained in that position until 2005. He also founded the Open Government Coalition at Elon University, which advocates for open access to public records and meetings. Barrows was also heavily involved in the crisis of credibility in journalism and sought ways to increase the public's trust in the media and fought for accurate and responsible reporting. In his later years, he also served as interim advisor to The East Carolinian, the student newspaper at East Carolina University. Additionally, Frank co-founded and was President of the Charlotte chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists.

Frank Barrows died at his home in Charlotte on June 12, 2019. His contributions to the Observer over his career are innumerable and he left a lasting impact on the newsroom and the culture of the workplace.

Source: https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/charlotte/obituary.aspx?n=frank-clemence-barrows&pid=193161006&fhid=40084