Strout's book details how weekly became 'godsend'
Larry Strout
The key role a Gulf Coast newspaper played in helping its community recover from Hurricane Katrina is the topic of a new book by a Mississippi State faculty member.
"Pass Christian and the Gazebo Gazette: A Gulf Community's Post-Katrina Triumph" is the work of Lawrence N. "Larry" Strout, an associate professor in the university's communication department. The 128-page book is published by The History Press.
Strout chronicles how the weekly provided both a basic communication medium and hope to readers during the four months following the 2005 monster storm's leveling of the beachfront Harrison County city of nearly 7,000.
Founded by award-winning journalist Evelina Shmukler and fellow volunteers without benefit of funding, offices or an established business plan, the Gazette would develop into what Strout calls a "godsend" for local citizens. Now regarded as a beloved resource by residents, the every-Friday publication has been honored by Reader's Digest magazine with the designation "New Town Crier."
Strout was a Pass Christian resident when the storm hit. At the time, he was working in New Orleans as an associate professor at Xavier University of Louisiana.
"Living in the The Pass, I know first-hand how important the creation of the newspaper was to the residents," said the Florida State University doctoral graduate in mass communication/media history.
Strout said "Pass Christian" is his second book and took approximately one-and-half years to complete. He considers it "a quick and enjoyable read" that can appeal to all ages.
"I think the most interesting aspect of the book is learning what people were doing the weekend before the storm, some in the city and others not, and how they came together to save the city where 80 percent of the homes were unlivable after the storm," he added.
Originally from Gardner, Massachusetts, Strout is in his eighth year at MSU. News writing for the electronic media, writing for the media, media law and introduction to news writing and reporting are among communication courses he has taught over the years.
He is a member of the Association of Educators in Journalism and Mass Communication, with research interests including 20th century media history, community newspapers and public broadcasting.
Published in 1999, his first book was "Covering McCarthyism: How the Christian Science Monitor Handled Joseph R. McCarthy, 1950-1954" (Greenwood Press). He also is the author of numerous scholarly works.
Copies of "Pass Christian" are available online at www.amazon.com/Christian-Gazebo-Gazette-Lawrence-Strout/dp/1626190933/, as well as Pass Christian Books on East Scenic Drive, via www.passbooksonline.com or telephone 228-222-4827.
The Gazebo Gazette is online at www.gazebogazette.com
Among the largest academic units on campus, MSU's communication department enrolls more than 600 majors and nearly 30 full-time faculty members. It offers a bachelor of arts, with concentrations in broadcasting, communication studies, journalism, public relations, and theater. For more, visit www.comm.msstate.edu, as well as on facebook.com/pages/Mississippi-State-University-Department-of-Communication/225677234145883 and twitter.com/MSUComm.
Discover more about Mississippi's flagship research university at www.msstate.edu or www.meridian.msstate.edu, facebook.com/msstate, pinterest.com/msstate, instagram.com/msstate and twitter.com/msstate.
Sasha Steinberg | Public Affairs
