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Ken Fortenberry

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Ken H. Fortenberry
BornMiami, Florida, U.S.
OccupationBusinessman
Spouse Anna Fortenberry ​(m. 1975)​
Children5

Kenneth Hale Fortenberry (born 1951) is an author, journalist, and former newspaper publisher residing in Georgia. He was the owner and publisher of news@norman, an weekly newspaper serving the Denver and the West Lake Norman area of North Carolina. He sought the Republican nomination for North Carolina's 10th congressional district in 2012, losing to incumbent Patrick McHenry in the primary. He ran for Governor of North Carolina as a Libertarian in the 2016 election, but withdrew in August 2015.

Early life

Born in Miami, Florida, Fortenberry grew up in Spartanburg, South Carolina. His father was a Pan American World Airways pilot, and his mother was a housewife.

Newspaper career

As a journalist, Fortenberry has won several awards. While serving as executive editor of the Winter Haven News Chief, the newspaper landed the coveted Sigma Delta Chi Bronze Medallion in Public Service for a series about teachers with past felonies and other criminal records who were working in the state of Florida. The investigative reports led to legislation requiring better screening for those being considered for hiring.

Author

Fortenberry gained international recognition in 1987 when his house was rocked by two explosions because of stories he published in the McCormick (S.C.) Messenger. His coverage of corruption in local law enforcement led to a federal prison term for the sheriff, the bribery conviction of the sheriff's replacement, the exposure of the chief deputy as an ex-convict, and changes in state law enforcement certification.

Fortenberry was featured on the CBS News program 60 Minutes, the NBC Today show, and his story was reported in dozens of publications including Newsweek and The New York Times. A book he wrote about the experience, Kill the Messenger, was published in 1989 by Peachtree Publishers LTD of Atlanta and has been under option for a TV movie.

In "The Mystery of the Lost Clipper", an article co-written by Fortenberry and Dr. Gregg Herken, the authors offer evidence of possible causes of the 1957 fatal crash of Pan Am Flight 7, en route from San Francisco, California, to Honolulu, Hawaii. Fortenberry's father, William, was the second officer and navigator of this flight. The article was featured in the September 2004 issue of Air & Space magazine. Fortenberry and Herken authored a follow-up article, "What Happened to Pan Am Flight 7?", in the January 2017 edition of Air & Space.

His latest book, Flight 7 is Missing: The Search for My Father's Killer, is the result of his lifelong search for the probable cause of the 1957 Pan American plane crash that killed his father and 43 others aboard. It was published on May 19, 2020, by Fayetteville Mafia Press of New York City.

Politics

Fortenberry ran against incumbent U.S. Representative Patrick McHenry in the Republican primary for North Carolina's 10th congressional district in 2012. McHenry defeated him by 58,844 votes (72.5%) to 15,936 (19.6%).

References

  1. "Welcome denverncnews.com - BlueHost.com". www.denverncnews.com. Retrieved October 21, 2022.
  2. "Plane crash kills 44". November 9, 2007.
  3. "Herald-Journal - Google News Archive Search". news.google.com. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
  4. "North Carolina Press Association". www.ncpress.com. Archived from the original on March 23, 2010.
  5. "Ocala Star-Banner - Google News Archive Search". news.google.com. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
  6. "North Carolina Press Association". www.ncpress.com. Archived from the original on July 14, 2011.
  7. "PolkCommentary.com – Braddy on His Years at the News Chief". polkcommentary.com. Archived from the original on January 1, 2015.
  8. Google Newspaper Archive
  9. Clendinen, Dudley; Times, Special To the New York (January 13, 1987). "Town Resists Bearer of Bad News". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
  10. "NewspaperArchive® | 15,727 Historic Newspaper Archives". Retrieved January 6, 2024.
  11. "The World's Largest Book Database - ISBN Database | ISBNdb". isbndb.com. Retrieved January 6, 2024.
  12. Herken, Gregg; Fortenberry, Ken. "The Mystery of the Lost Clipper". History of Flight. Air & Space/Smithsonian. Archived from the original on August 16, 2008.
  13. Herken, Gregg; Fortenberry, Ken. "What Happened to Pan Am Flight 7?". Smithsonian Magazine.
  14. "Flight 7 Is Missing". Retrieved January 6, 2024.
  15. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved January 25, 2012.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  16. "2012 North Carolina 10th Congressional District | NumbersUSA - for Lower Immigration Levels".
  17. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on January 18, 2012. Retrieved February 6, 2012.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  18. "lincolntimesnews.com | Lincoln County's Home Newspaper". Lincoln Times News. Retrieved October 21, 2022.
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