Joe Dorris is a legendary columnist for the Kentucky New Era in Hopkinsville, Kentucky, revered for his homespun tales that entertained Western Kentucky for decades. He was born August 17, 1908, in Hopkinsville and a 1929 graduate of Georgetown College in Georgetown, Kentucky, and the University of Missouri. He joined the New Era in the fall of 1930 as a part-time sportswriter and was promoted to full-time reporter in February 1931. He worked continuously for the newspaper for six decades, except for a four-year stint in the U.S. Army Air Corps from 1942 to 1945. Dorris returned to the New Era after World War II and served as a reporter and editor for news and sports. He is credited with writing the first news report about an alleged alien landing near a farmhouse in Kelly, Kentucky, in 1955, which created a nationwide flurry of coverage. Dorris was named editor and publisher 1965, the same year he began writing the daily “Watching the Parade” column. He was hailed as the most popular feature in the New Era’s 120-year history, the column was a daily fixture in the newspaper, helping unite the Pennyrile region, preserve Hopkinsville’s rich history, spark interaction with readers and put current events into context. His conversational writing style and dry wit delighted generations of readers and served as inspiration for aspiring journalists in the region. He retired from the New Era in 1978, he continued to write his column until March 1993.