Published on Show Me Mizzou April 30, 2024
Story by Kevin Mattimore, BJ ’83
When Doug Geed, BJ ’80, retired from the 24-hour cable station News 12 Long Island in December, Newsday dubbed him “one of the most recognizable faces on Long Island.’’ It’s easy to see why.
The longtime anchor and reporter won 10 New York Emmy Awards and a Long Island Journalist of the Year award; was inducted into the Long Island Journalism Hall of Fame; and created and hosted the popular East End Show, where until his retirement he highlighted stories of commercial fishermen and farmers in that colorful region of Long Island.
“What I am most proud of is that I played a significant role in the success of News 12,’’ says Geed, who was with the station when it launched. “A 24-hour TV station of just local news was a big experiment in 1986, but we became beloved.’’
Geed also is proud of his family’s ties to the university. His father, Henry, graduated from Mizzou in 1943 before serving on fighter planes during World War II. Before he went overseas, his bride-to-be, Lucille, took a train from New York to make it official in Missouri. They were married at Calvary Episcopal Church and enjoyed their honeymoon at the Tiger Hotel.
They took a trip back to Missouri for their 30th anniversary. Then a freshman in high school, Geed had heard about Mizzou’s J-School. “I flew out midway through their trip, fell in love with the campus, and knew I wanted to go to school there.’’
Years later, another Geed fell in love with Columbia. Geed’s daughter, Kierin Geed, BS BGS ’17, became the third generation to graduate from Mizzou.
“I thank God every day for my connection with Columbia,’’ the elder Geed says. “It wasn’t just being able to attend the best journalism school in the world and the experience of working at KBIA and KOMU, but the personal connections, as well. My mom and dad began their life together 80 years ago, just blocks from the J-School. My daughter lived at Mark Twain her freshman year, and her room overlooked the marquee of the Tiger Hotel.”
Like many before him, Geed credits his success to the training he received at the J-School, especially through the Missouri Method.
“It instilled in me the importance of keeping integrity in the journalism profession,’’ he says. “Honesty, fairness, an open but skeptical mind — all of that needs to be at the heart of any journalist.’’
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