Paul Davis has filled many roles at the Daily American Republic in the 23 years that he has worked at the newspaper — photographer, outdoors editor, outdoors columnist, writer and paginator.
Now he can add one more role to that list: assistant editor.
Davis was recently named the DAR’s assistant editor, where he will serve as the newsroom’s second-in-command under editor Donna Farley.
“I’m excited about the new role Paul is taking on at the DAR,” Farley said. “He’s an extremely talented photographer and writer, and has a knowledge and care for this community that makes what we do at the DAR better every day. We have weathered more than a few changes at the DAR in recent years, including through the COVID-19 pandemic. Through all of those changes, Paul has never hesitated to step up to tackle the new challenges we’ve faced, and has always been dedicated to producing the best product possible.”
Davis said that he is excited for the opportunity and appreciates the trust that the DAR has in him.
“Essentially, I’ll be responsible for helping Donna with a lot of the behind the scenes stuff,” Davis said, “along with organizing some of the special sections we run every month.”
DAR Publisher Chris Pruett said he’s enjoyed watching Davis grow into his new position.
“When Donna spoke with Paul about him becoming assistant editor he was a little hesitant. I assured him I believed he would be the perfect person for the job,” Pruett said. “Paul has deep ties and a love for this area, and he brings a great work ethic to the position. Paul is the type of person who finds a way to get the job done. In our business that’s extremely valuable.”
Pruett shared he believes Davis’ overall talents will be a huge asset to his new position.
“Paul, as most of our subscribers know, is a fabulous photographer. But his skills go way beyond taking photos. He’s a talented writer, videographer and has the type of personality that allows people to be comfortable around him,” Pruett said.
Davis came on board with the DAR in December 1997 as chief photographer and by 2000, he had also begun occasionally writing. An avid outdoorsman, he was named Outdoors Editor in 2001 and has been in charge of the Outdoors page ever since. In 2012, Davis began writing a weekly outdoors column after veteran columnist Paul “The Ridgerunner” Woods retired, though photography was still his primary responsibility. “In the years since, I’ve been tasked with writing more and more, and now, quite honestly, with the changes in our format, I don’t get to do photo assignments very much at all,” Davis said. “And, for the last couple years, I’ve taken on paginating and web posting roles as well.”
Davis has won several Associated Press Photo of the Month awards over the years, but the biggest award that he won was arguably the Missouri Photo of the Year in 2008 of a photo he took of a drag boat racer at Wappapello Lake being thrown from his boat as it flipped in the air.
“That was taken on a Sunday, and after submitting it to AP that afternoon, it was published in various outlets around the world within hours,” Davis said. “That photo came about from a mixture of experience and pure luck. Experience helped me capture the shot, while luck played a part simply because I probably wouldn’t normally have been there. One of our sports reporters was getting married that weekend, so I got tapped for the assignment.”
Farley has worked with Davis for many years at the DAR and praises his professionalism.
“I’ve gone on many assignments with Paul over the years to cover severe weather events,” Farley said. “We traveled together to all parts of our coverage area for the 2008 flood, 2009 ice storm, 2017 flood, and more than one tornado over the years. Witnessing the kind of destruction that follows these historic and devastating weather events is something that can be hard to describe.
“It takes not only a special kind of professionalism, but also a genuine care for people, to tackle these types of assignments with the kind of compassion that I’ve seen from Paul when talking to area residents in these difficult times.”
Davis and his wife, Penny, have been married for 30 years after meeting and marrying while stationed in the Philippines with the U.S. Air Force. They have one daughter, Brooke, who is a 2011 graduate of PBHS, a 2015 graduate of Missouri State University and is a teacher in southwest Missouri. Davis has one grandson, who just turned three years old.
“Paul and his wife, Penny, and daughter, Brooke, have been part of the Poplar Bluff community for more than two decades,” Farley said. “Brooke graduated from Poplar Bluff High School, and Paul is familiar to many with the school district not only through his work at the DAR, but from his involvement as a parent while she was in school.”
When he isn’t working or spending time with his family, Davis is usually outdoors.
“My dad raised me to love and respect nature and the outdoors when I was growing up in Indiana,” Davis said. “It’s definitely my getaway from the daily grind. Whether it’s hunting, fishing, nature photography, whatever — it’s important to me. Honestly, if I never got to spend time doing my favorite outdoor activities like fishing, turkey hunting and bowhunting, I’d probably be a pretty miserable person.”