Shreveport Native and Media Legend Dies at Age 89
SHREVEPORT, LA - A Shreveport native who spent decades in the trenches of the national media spotlight has died.
Tom Jarriel was born in Georgia, but he grew up in Shreveport. He was a proud graduate of Byrd High School where he played baseball and tennis. After graduating in 1952, he attended the University of Houston on a tennis scholarship. He went on to get a degree in radio and television.
Tom Jarriel Has Lengthy Media Career
And while in Houston, Jarriel kicked off a career that would last for more than 40 years. He began working as a copy boy at KPRC in Houston. He was a sponge. He soaked up everything he could learn about working in the TV news business. He then made a huge jump and took a job with ABC News as a correspondent for the network’s Atlanta bureau. During this time, he was one of the key reporters covering the Civil Rights Movement.
Tom Jarriel was one of the few reporters Americans trusted. During his years at ABC News he also focused on helping other young journalists learn the ropes.
Tom Jarriel Gets National Attention
He gained national attention for his coverage of Dr. Martin Luther King's assassination.
He eventually took over the coveted role as the Chief White House Correspondent, covering both presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford. He because an anchor for ABC on the weekends in 1979 and also signed on to do reporting for ABC's primetime news magazine, 20/20.
Jarriel is survived by his loving wife Joan, of 57 years, and his three sons.
Jarriel has received countless honors for his reporting and anchoring, including ten Emmy Awards.
He has also been honored in Shreveport by being named to the Byrd High School Hall of Fame, the Northwest Louisiana Hall of Fame and the Shreveport Walk of Stars.