Hebron native and University of Nebraska alumna Beverly Deepe Keever and her career as a Vietnam War correspondent is featured in the May 18 episode of “Nebraska Stories.”
Keever was the longest serving American war correspondent during the Vietnam War. She graduated from the university in 1957 with a double major in journalism and political science. In February 1962 she was 26-years-old and arrived in Saigon to cover the war. Keever’s stories were often picked up by the Associated Press and were featured in national magazines and newspapers. Her story on the Battle of Khe Sanh was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize.
Barney McCoy, professor of broadcasting in the University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s College of Journalism and Mass Communication, discovered Keever’s story while working on a documentary about Nebraskans Robert Reuben, a World War II correspondent, and Barney Oldfield, a newspaper reporter who served as a press aide to Dwight Eisenhower during the war.
In July 2022, McCoy reached out to “Nebraska Stories” producers Kay Hall and Michele Wolford to gauge interest on creating a profile on Keever. The idea grew from that inquiry and McCoy ultimately helped write the script and create “Seven Years a Correspondent,” the “Nebraska Stories” documentary on Keever.
The “Nebraska Stories” episode airs at 8 p.m. May 18 on Nebraska Public Media. It will also be available on the “Nebraska Stories” website.
