Robert Pierre has done a lot during the first 35 years of his life.
He graduated from LSU, worked for The Times-Picayune and The Washington Post, flew with Vice President Dick Cheney during his first campaign and was the first and only black editor of The Reveille.
Pierre grew up in Franklin, La., with a population little less than 9,000, and now covers 12 states as the Midwest correspondent of The Washington Post.
His rise through the journalistic ranks bears resemblance to “The Beverly Hillbillies.”
Both the Hillbillies and Pierre left small cities to hit the big time, and both did so by discovering something they never knew they were resting upon.
The Hillbillies left the Ozark Mountains after finding oil. while Pierre left Franklin after discovering the ability he had with a pen.
Engineering was originally Pierre’s first career ambition, but that quickly changed during his senior year at Franklin High.
“My senior year I was asked by my English professor to write this column for the Franklin Banner [town paper],” Pierre said.
Pierre took full advantage of the opportunity, although he said he was not good at it. He spoke with community members and worked on his journalistic craft.
In 1986 he started at LSU on an academic scholarship and began to work for The Reveille shortly after.
He was a staff writer, a copy editor and an editor in chief with The Reveille during his four-year tenure at the University.
“I lived [in The Reveille] most of my years,” Pierre said.
“Following my sophomore year I probably spent more time [in the Reveille] than I did with most of my friends.”
Being the first and only black editor is not a big deal to Pierre.
“It meant something to the other people that were here on campus like the black students,” Pierre said. “I hope I brought some different perspectives to the paper that would have otherwise not have been in there.”
Jay Perkins, mass communication associate professor, taught Pierre 13 years ago as well as being his adviser at The Reveille. Perkins said Pierre was not affected by being the first black editor.
“Robert handled everything the same way,” Perkins said. “He was self-effacing, and race was not a big deal to him.”
The LSU experience was good for Pierre because it opened him up to more cultures than he was used to in Franklin, Pierre said.
“You interact more personally with a lot of people who were different,” Pierre said. “It allowed me to solidify the things I believe as well as question some things.”
Pierre graduated from LSU in December 1990 and moved on to The Times-Picayune as a reporter covering the River Parishes, but he was not happy living there. After a year at the Picayune he moved into a communications role at Entergy in New Orleans. The Washington Post was his next and final destination.
Journalism has opened up a lot of doors for the Franklin native.
“It is what I do,” Pierre said. “It has paid for trips across the country and opened up the world for me.”