Rick Wagner

About

I'm the education writer for the Kingsport Times News, where I have worked for nearly 18 years, since April of 2005. Before I became education writer, I was a business writer until 2008. Before that, I worked 17 years at the Bristol Herald Courier, starting in October of 1987, and had a more than four-month stint as an intern at the Nashville Banner in the summer of 1987. I graduated from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, in 1987 with a news-editorial bachelor's degree in communications. I earned an unofficial minor (my college did not recognize minors) in history and was one class away from an unofficial minor in political science. I was editor, managing editor, columnist and a government/political reporter for The Daily Beacon from 1984 to 1987. I had two external internships while at UT, one with the Institute on Political Journalism in 1985 in Washington, D.C., when I took two for-credit classes at Georgetown University and interned at the Voice of America. The other internship was with the Sears Congressional Intern program in 1986, when I was an intern working with a press secretary for a U.S. congressman. Both programs included meeting with veteran journalists while in Washington. I got UT college credit for the Sears program. I also took a class from East Tennessee State University that transferred to my UT transcript. I am divorced and have three children and two grandchildren. I attended Surgoinsville High School and then graduated, after a merger my junior year, from Volunteer High School in 1982. My hobbies have included model railroading/toy trains, woodworking, antiques, playing the acoustic and electric guitar, some electric bass and doing a little piano by ear. I played tuba in high school and for four years made the cut to participate in All State East, and marching with the high school band from eighth grade through 12th grade.