Sheldon Shafer, prolific Courier-Journal reporter and Kentucky Hall of Fame journalist, has died

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) – Sheldon S. Shafer, a prolific reporter who covered local government, development and other topics big and small for The Courier-Journal for more than four decades, died early Monday. He was 79.

Shafer, who will be inducted into the Kentucky Journalism Hall of Fame this week, had been in failing health since a fall at his home in late 2023.

In a career that began at the Louisville newspaper in 1973, Shafer chronicled established Louisville institutions -- Waterfront Park, the Belle of Louisville and the Louisville Zoo, to name just a few – and its curiosities, from the Louisville Clock to the Ohio River’s Falls Fountain.

He also was known for stories about development proposals that never came to fruition, an unbuilt collection of buildings dubbed “Shaferville” by his colleagues in the newsroom at Sixth Street and Broadway.

Shafer covered the Metro Council and, before the merger of city-county governments, the Board of Aldermen and Jefferson County Fiscal Court. He wrote about every Louisville mayor from Harvey Sloane to Greg Fischer.

“I think he was the most focused journalist covering local issues of anyone I dealt with,” said Jerry Abramson, the former Louisville mayor who knew Shafer from their days as students at Indiana University. “And it's because he cared so much about his hometown.”

Louisville was, in fact, Shafer’s longtime adopted hometown. He grew up in northeastern Indiana near Fort Wayne and graduated in 1966 from Indiana University, where he was editor-in-chief of the Indiana Daily Student, according to his Hall of Fame bio.

After a stint in the U.S. Army, he began his journalism career at the Fort Wayne News-Sentinel before joining the C-J.

In Louisville, Shafer constantly worked the phones seeking out scoops to add to his legendary byline count. He estimated that he wrote 25,000 stories by the time he retired in 2017, according to the C-J story on his departure.

“He really kept his hand on the pulse of what was going on,” said Bill Weyland, a developer who recalled frequently getting calls from Shafer trying to nail down a story well before other reporters began asking.

“He was ahead of everybody--every time,” Weyland said. “It just showed how diligent he was about his profession.”

Shafer's approach was "fairness first, and getting all sides," said Steve Magre, a former president of the aldermen board. He said he learned firsthand of one of Shafer's skills -- reading upside down -- after an interview in which the reporter read a document sitting on Magre's desk.

'It was impressive," Magre said. "Obviously, a great skill for such a talented reporter to have."

In 2014, thinking he was heading to Waterfront Park for a story, Shafer was surprised to find himself at the center of the day’s news. Abramson, Fischer and former Louisville Mayor Dave Armstrong surprised him with a plaque on a bench that bears his name.

Shafer later received a Silver Anchor Award from the Friends of the Waterfront for his support of the riverside park. “In particular, his focus on Louisville’s waterfront – before, during and after construction of Waterfront Park – helped shape public knowledge of the project and gave a fair and accurate depiction of the effort to transform Louisville’s riverfront,” the organization wrote.

Jeanie Kahnke, a former spokeswoman for the Muhammad Ali Center, remembered Shafer as an “old-school journalist who loved news gathering, building relationships, providing a service to his community, and working toward the public good.”

He also showed a personal side, she said, always asking about her family and how she was doing. “He was a compassionate and spiritual man and I will truly miss him,” Kahnke said.

Shafer was always ready with a “dad joke,” even ones that frequently caused colleagues to groan. He continued in his retirement. “Why did the turkey cross the road? To prove it wasn’t chicken,” he posted on Facebook in 2022.

He often cranked out multiple stories a day, hammering loudly on a computer keyboard that sounded more like a typewriter.

Shafer would sit at his desk, finished with his work as other reporters worked to meet their deadlines. It wasn’t unusual for him to make more calls, usually to bridge partners to discuss upcoming card games.

Afterwards, Shafer would stand up and proclaim, “Well, I’m going out on my beat,” then leave for the day.