TEMPLE, Texas — Funeral services were held Monday for Central Texas legend Roscoe Harrison Jr. He is known in the community for being a man of many firsts in the field of Central Texas journalism.
Born in Belton, Harrison graduated from Harris High School in 1963.
Harrison got his start at the Temple-Daily Telegram as the first African-American journalist in Central Texas.
From there, he gained notoriety for his more than 20 years at KCEN as the first African-American news anchor in the area. Harrison found his love for preaching back in 2002, where he had since served as Pastor at the Eighth Street Baptist Church.
As a trailblazer, Harrison has broken barriers for many African-American journalists in Central Texas. His career in news and journalism expanded from Central Texas to San Antonio to Chicago and back to Temple.
In 1968, Harrison became the associate editor of JET Magazine in Chicago and participated in the coverage of several major news events, including the death and funeral of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The magazine’s coverage of King’s funeral won them a Pulitzer Prize in 1969.
The funeral will be held at Temple's Eighth Street Baptist Church. Services start at 1 p.m. The service will also be streamed on KCEN's social media platforms as well.
Harrison will be deeply missed by the community and those he impacted including those here at KCEN.