Van Craddock Jr

Van Craddock Jr., who calls himself an "amateur East Texas historian," has written a history-and-humor column for the Longview News-Journal since 1978. The Gladewater native is a graduate of Longview High School and Stephen F. Austin State Universty, where he majored in journalism and commercial art. He and wife Bettye, journalism instructor at Kilgore College, have two grown children: Chris, a journalism teacher; and Cathy, an English teacher married to Matt Tenner. The Craddocks are members of Longview's First United Methodist Church.

Craddock served in Vietnam in the U.S. Army in 1971-72 and has published a book of his News-Journal columns titled, "I Would've Been a Lumberjack But I Couldn't Hack It." He's also a proud member of the Mayberry Union High Chapter of the Andy Griffith Show Rerun Watchers Club.