A reporter on architecture in the Bluegrass, Betty Lee Mastin spent her career informing Kentuckians about their remarkable heritage and built environment. Her writing helped lead to the preservation of many historic structures in the region. Born in Midway and raised in Jessamine County, she is a Phi Beta Kappa journalism graduate of the University of Kentucky. She began reading proof for the Lexington Herald in 1944 and joined the paper full-time in 1950. She wrote more than 2,000 weekly features about homes in Central Kentucky, blending a scholar’s depth with a journalist’s eye for an interesting story. Her work fueled the local preservation movement, and at Herald management’s direction, she became an advocate for preservation and won awards for her work. She taught university seminars and wrote Lexington 1779: Pioneer Kentucky as Described by Early Settlers. After retiring from the Herald-Leader she continued to add to architectural archives of the state and UK.