In 51 years in journalism, Bill Powell helped Western Kentucky understand itself and its place in the state, then helped the state understand the region. "He knew more about Western Kentucky than anyone alive," lawyer-historian-Justice Bill Cunningham said after Powell died in 1991. Born in Henry County, Tennessee, Powell grew up in Symsonia, KY. He began his career at the Princeton Leader in 1940 and was hired at the Paducah Sun-Democrat in 1942 by Henry Ward, who said 40 years later, "He was very prolific and could make more out of a story than anyone I ever knew." A reporter with a hard nose and a soft heart, he as a demanding executive editor at the Sun but preferred reporting. After a brief stint at The Lexington Leader, he became The Courier-Journal's Western Kentucky reporter in 1971. He retired in 1984 but wrote a column for the West Kentucky News.