Larry Roberts
GRANTEE
As a staff photographer on the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Larry Roberts has hauled himself up the figurative long hard climb since landing his first newspaper photo job at the age of 15 on the weekly News-Tribune in Dayton, Ohio.
After receiving a degree in photojournalism from Kent State University, which was later augmented with a masters degree from Ohio State University, Roberts got his first job at the Troy, New York, Times Record as night staff shooter. From that start Roberts moved to day staff, then chief photographer, after which he worked for UPI while pursuing his graduate degree.
The next move was to Israel where he freelanced and worked for the University of Haifa. A return to the United States brought a job of chief photographer for the Journal Newspapers which led to an editor's position with the fledgling AFP International Newspictures. Roughly ten years with AFP brought about the chance to run the photo department at The Blade, in Toledo, Ohio which eventually got him transferred to the sister paper in Pittsburgh as assistant managing editor for photography.
Then, someone left the office door open and Roberts bolted through it and back onto the street--covering daily life in the city.