Ralph W. 'Bud' Leavitt Jr.

Who was Ralph W. 'Bud' Leavitt Jr.?

Ralph W. 'Bud' Leavitt Jr. was a Maine newspaperman who was executive sports editor of The Bangor Daily News, and a longtime outdoor columnist recognized statewide. In addition to his writing, Leavitt hosted one of Maine's earliest television shows, which was devoted to fishing, hunting and the out-of-doors. Leavitt's stature within the state was such that columnist Roy Blount Jr. wrote of the Maine sportswriter that he "fishes with Ted Williams and Red Smith – or, rather, they trout-fish with him." An early conservationist and son of a paper mill union leader, Leavitt urged the state of Maine to acquire lands for public use; one such preserve is today named for the sportswriter and television personality.