Kevin Leonard, historian and writer of the popular “History Matters” column in the Laurel Leader, is a 1972 graduate of Laurel High School. His column explores long-forgotten events and people from Laurel’s rich history. He is a two-time winner of the Maryland Delaware District of Columbia Journalism Award. His company, The Leonard Group, Inc., provides historical research services to book authors, documentary filmmakers, and television productions. Kevin can count a Pulitzer Prize winner (Caroline Fraser, Prairie Fires) and an Academy Award winner (Charles Ferguson, Inside Job) among his clients. Kevin’s first foray into screenwriting, a biopic about WWI hero Eddie Rickenbacker, won Clint Eastwood’s Monterey County Film Commission’s Screenwriting Competition and was subsequently optioned for production. Kevin has also served on the Laurel Historical Society Board of Directors.

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After years of writing his “History Matters” column, Kevin created "The Laurel Chronicles" as both a web feature and regular column in Voices of Laurel. Here, you can find a running archive of his columns.