Write a commentJerry Curry is a new staff writer with Leader Publishing Company of Salem, Inc., providing all kinds of news coverage for www.salemleader.com.
“We are so thrilled to add Jerry to our staff,” said Nancy Grossman, publisher. "He immediately hit the ground running—making contacts throughout the county and writing stories on all facets of news, from local government, the schools, fires, the YMCA, election information, community outreach groups, service organizations and so much more. He doesn’t hesitate to cover anything that he runs across. He is quite an asset to our company and community.”
Curry may be familiar to many in the community. For the past couple of years he contributed racing news from Salem Speedway and Thunder Valley Raceway for The Salem Leader and The Salem Democrat. His coverage was appreciated by many racing enthusiasts in Washington County.
He has been a race fan from an early age. “My dad was a race fan, so we attended race tracks like the Sportsdrome in Jeffersonville and Salem Speedway,” Curry said.
He had a desire to share race results in local papers. “I wanted to reestablish the sport of local auto racing in the papers,” Curry said. “Everybody was shorthanded and available space in the newspaper was at a premium.” He established a relationship with the Jeffersonville Evening News before reaching out to The Salem Leader.
Curry also follows racing on his Facebook group, “Kentucky & Indiana Motorsports,” where he posts results from the Washington County tracks, in addition to the Sportsdrome and Kentucky Motor Speedway.
Curry is retired from Ford Motor Company. He said, “My last job was in preventative maintenance as a thermograph using an infrared camera. He has been an industrial electrician since 1973 and earned his associate degree in electronics from Ivy Tech College. He attended Ahrens Trade High School in Louisville. He worked at Auto Mechanics for a couple of years before moving to factory work. “Having a background in mechanics was a stepping stone to maintenance,” he said. He also worked at Henry Vogt Machine Company.
His love of racing led him to cover local race tracks, but meeting a lot of interesting people has kept him engaged. He said he enjoys the challenge of conveying a story so others can understand what is happening.
“I used to be quite nervous about public speaking, but as I aged it went away,” Curry said. “I lead the invocation at the Sportsdrome for the drivers’ meeting and again for the spectators. It’s an honor.”
Curry and his wife of 52 years, Jeanette, live in Jeffersonville. She is an R.N. The have three grown children, two daughters and a son.
If he’s not at the racetrack or covering news for the Leader, Curry can be found volunteering for church functions or will soon be cutting grass at Eastern Cemetery, an over buried cemetery that no one claims. He said, “Yard sales are an activity my wife and I enjoy. A great day for his is getting up early and finding a successful project in his garage.
The 72 year old relies on this saying, “Always put yourself in a position to win.” He said to him it means preparing yourself with all the personal tools you can. "I always volunteered for just about everything at work, and this leads to some very good opportunities,” he added.
“Jerry is a very interesting man. He is driven to do all he can to help inform local residents about the latest news about individuals, businesses, organizations and events. Jerry may be reached at