On Tuesday, the Mount Vernon News learned that former photojournalist Virgil Shipley passed away at age 95 (see obituary on Page 5). Until his retirement in 2017, Shipley's photos graced the pages of this newspaper, documenting more than six decades of community history.
As a tribute, current and former News staff members have shared their thoughts about Shipley for this special commemoration.
Kay Culbertson, former publisher of the News
I could always rest easy knowing that I had Virgil Shipley behind the lens for the Mount Vernon News. No matter what time of day, he was always on the job. He was definitely a Knox County icon. Rest in peace, we will miss you.
Carol Hess, circulation manager
I have worked for the paper for over 22 years. Virgil was there when I started and way before that! Visits to my office for me to add up his mileage always made me laugh. When I would tease him about it, he would say, “I have better things to do, and you have an adding machine.”
He always had lots of mileage, as he traveled all over Knox County covering the many events.
Virgil was not a 9-to-5 employee; he was available any time. Call Virgil, and he was there.
He loved his job and was very good at it. There are probably few people in Knox County, and especially Mount Vernon, who have not had their picture taken by Virgil Shipley at one time or another. His smile and laugh were contagious, and he never met a person he couldn’t talk to.
Virgil Shipley is an icon in Knox County and with Mount Vernon News employees, past and present. He will be missed by our community.
Elizabeth Lutwick, former assistant publisher
It was a great privilege working with Virgil Shipley for so many years. He was an encyclopedia of knowledge when it came to Knox County.
Virgil saw the newspaper industry go from developing pictures in the darkroom to scanning pictures into the computer. He loved to tell stories about the past, but he always was open minded about the future.
He was a good friend and will be missed.
Corby Wise, former advertising director
He was really a fixture, an icon in the community for years. If you saw him coming around, you knew there'd be a chance you'd be in the paper.
One of the big things is he kept the [police] scanner with him all the time. If something was happening at three in the morning, he was in the car on the way. He was that kind of reporter.
The town was founded in 1805, and he started in 1956, so he was around for a quarter of the town's history, taking pictures. He really was the face of the Mount Vernon News, in my opinion.
So he was a great, great person to work with. And we're really, really going to miss him. He was a great guy.
Samantha Scoles, former managing editor
During my 20 years at the News, Virgil was the common denominator in the newsroom – actually, it was his unofficial role for over 60 years!
Since 1955, he quietly and humbly had influence over each and every one of us in that department. At some point, all new journalists would be out on assignment with him. You could learn so much just by watching the legend at work – how to gather information at the scene; how to interact with law enforcement, firefighters, elected officials and our neighbors; listen and look; and how to create the story for our readers.
Virgil was a walking, talking full-access, free admission card to any and every event or happening in Knox County. He knew all the right people and had no trouble getting beyond barricades or police tape. Over decades of building relationships, it was rare for him to be denied access to whatever he needed to cover. This put him in a front-row seat to capture the moments that placed our readers in that same front-row seat from the comfort of their own homes or wherever they read the News.
I don't think most people really understood his profession was his life. He always had a scanner on and jumped into action whenever he heard something he believed was newsworthy. A lot of times I'd call him to check out something I heard, and he was already on the road. He dedicated his life to capturing the history of Knox County, not realizing just how important his own story is to our collective history.
He was the grand marshal for the Christmas Parade; I can't remember what year. We really had to convince him to do it because he did not see himself worthy of the recognition. Eventually, he relented. We wanted to make that day special for him, and he loved cars. When he arrived at the staging area, we had a Maserati waiting on him and his grandchildren. I had never seen him happier – he was all smiles. That was an awesome day to see him so elated and to be the focal point of a story we know he deserved. It's still one of my favorite memories.
Since he retired, we've missed photos showing how tall the corn had grown based on height compared to his latest sports car; we've missed the blooming of dogwood trees (with or without a model); we've missed photos that included the side mirror of his car; and so many more of the "classic Virgil" shots. Thankfully, generations of moms have been saving his photos in family photo albums and scrapbooks. so his legacy will live on.
I mentioned that Virgil was a common denominator in the newsroom. The reality is, he was the common denominator for generations of readers. In the 60-plus years he was the photographer, he was the constant for our readers as well. Journalists came and went. Managing editors, we might have served for longer periods, but our readers knew they could stop by or call and ask for him and he'd be there.
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