Introduction

I'm Donna Lampkin Stephens, a lecturer in journalism at the University of Central Arkansas and a Ph.D. student in Mass Communication at The University of Southern Mississippi. I grew up in the country near Camden, Ark., the oldest of four children, in a close extended family living on the 400 acres my great-grandparents owned and farmed. I'll be among the fourth generation of Lampkins buried in the Bell Chapel Cemetery a few hundred yards from where I grew up.

I went to the University of Arkansas for my undergraduate degree in journalism and worked as a sports writer for the Arkansas Gazette, which was the oldest newspaper west of the Mississippi River when it died Oct. 18, 1991. Since then I've earned master's degrees in Journalism (University of Arkansas) and Teaching Visually Impaired Children (Arkansas-Little Rock) and taught seven years in public schools in Arkansas before going to UCA, where I'll be starting my 10th year this fall. I continue to work as a freelance writer for several publications.

I produced a documentary film on the Gazette — The Old Gray Lady: Arkansas's First Newspaper — that premiered at the Clinton Presidential Center on the 15th anniversary of the closing of the Gazette (Oct. 18, 2006). That film is the foundation of my Ph.D. studies. I will use much of the research I did for that project for my dissertation, which will be a history of the Gazette, probably from 1902 through its death.

I'm married to Ken Stephens, a well-known football coach in Arkansas. We met on the football field; I was there as a sports writer covering Media Day at Arkansas Tech. After dating for seven years, we'll celebrate our 12th wedding anniversary on July 12. We have two dogs — Missy and Ruby — and two cats — Charlie and Ranger.

One of the great loves of my life is being an aunt to Jared, Tyler, Bradley, Wesley, Joshua, Peyton and Brandon. I love being their favorite auntie!