I grew up in a small town in New Jersey, attended public schools and graduated from Elizabethtown College in Elizabethtown, PA with a degree in political science.
My dad wanted me to join him at Dougherty Realty after graduation – “It’s a gold mine” he assured me – but I wanted to be a writer. I landed a job with The Washington Post where I started as a copy aide.
After that, newspapers were my life. I couldn’t imagine doing anything else.
I spent 42 years in the business: Six at The Post, three as a freelancer in based in Dublin, Ireland and 34 years at The Virginian-Pilot. I was a metro columnist during my last 17 years at The Pilot.
My writing has appeared in Newsweek, The Boston Globe and assorted Irish publications. I helped co-author a guide to Irish politics while I lived in Dublin.
Over the years I received a number of awards, including first place for column writing from the Virginia Press Association in 2017.
In December of 2017 I accepted a severance package from The Pilot and three days later I launched my website, kerrydougherty.com . I was joined by a pal from The Pilot who helps edit the site. My daughter and niece – my millennials – designed the website and take care of the business and design aspects of our all-girl enterprise.
My goal was to write five days a week and see if we could build readership. It worked! The site has exceeded all of our expectations.
I am married with two grown children and a granddaughter. I live in Virginia Beach and spend as much time as possible in the sand. Oh, I am a college football fanatic and a fan of Ole Miss, my daughter’s school. My happy place? Vaught-Hemingway Stadium in Oxford, Mississippi on a fall afternoon, with the Rebs beating Alabama.