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News agency boss and shorthand king dies at 84

A former regional press journalist who was known for his “phenomenal shorthand” has died at the age of 84.

Keith Smith worked at Sheffield’s Morning Telegraph for many years as part of his journalism career before running the Spire News Agency in Chesterfield.

He started out in journalism at the Yorkshire Post then moved to the Yorkshire Evening Post before spending time in the Army for his National Service.

Keith also worked for a court agency in London and the Derbyshire Times before joining the Morning Telegraph as a sub-editor.  He later ran the Chesterfield office of the paper.

He died last Friday and a tribute has been paid to him by former colleague Bernard Silk, who worked with him at the Telegraph.

Said Bernard: “Keith was a brilliant journalist with phenomenal shorthand. I have never seen anybody with shorthand that fast and he was also extremely accurate.

“He was tenacious and he came up with many, many stories. He was relentless with digging out things.

“Not only did he write for the Morning Telegraph but he was also a stringer for many of the nationals and was well-known to many of them.

“He was known as ‘Mr Chesterfield’ because he just knew everybody in the town.”

Keith, whose wife Betty died four years ago, leaves his sons Peter and Michael.

His funeral will take place next Wednesday (10 October) at Chesterfield Crematorium at 12.10pm.

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  • October 8, 2012 at 3:05 pm
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    What a great character he was…larger than life, the dear boy!

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