CHRISTINE BRENNAN MICHAEL WILBON TALK SPORTS CAREERS AND MEDILL \ THE INS AND OUTS INSIDE MEDILL’S SPORTS MEDIA SPECIALIZATION \ IRA BERKOW ON BASEBALL \ DESTINATION: DENVER FOUR ALUMS INSPIRED BY THE FALL 2015 \ ISSUE 91 \ ALUMNI MAGAZINE MILE-HIGH CITY J'nelle Agee (MSJ15) and Joe Musso (MSJ15) pose next to a replica of the original ESPN sign from the network's debut in 1979. Photo by Marc Zarefsky 2016 marks the 50th anniversary of Medill’s Washington Program and we need your help! The winter 2016 issue of the Medill magazine will feature stories, images and anecdotes from Medill Washington program alumni and 14 24 30 faculty. If you participated in Medill’s GOING BEYOND The Science Writer A New Washington program during your THE BOX SCORE Benedict Carey — author and Biography: time at Medill, we want to hear from A look inside the Medill Sports a New York Times science and John Bartlow Media Specialization. you! Send us your images, clips, medical reporter — on finding his Martin videos, fondest memories, musings COVER PHOTO BY MARC ZAREFSKY (BSJ07) writing niche. An interview with author Ray or anything you think might 26 Boomhower on Martin’s life contribute well to this special 10 The Reunion as a diplomat and teacher at Medill. celebration. Please include detailed Destination: Denver Essayist Ellen Blum Barish captions for accuracy. uncovers a story from a long- 32 Four alumni and their careers as forgotten memory. storytellers in the Colorado capital. Class Note: Ira Berkow Stay tuned for dates EMAIL: [email protected] 28 Defining moments and times for various 18 Making Causes in the sportswriter’s SNAIL MAIL: Belinda Clarke Washington program The Q&A 1845 Sheridan Road, Count career and his latest book on Wrigley Field. celebratory events in 2016! Michael Wilbon and Christine Brennan — Room 209 TakePart pairs meaningful issues Medill’s new professors of practice in sports Evanston, IL 60208 with actionable change. Medill media — on careers and friendship. 34 talks to Editor-In-Chief Eric Noe. A Tribute: The Late 22 Trey Hall Executive, cycling enthusiast and Medill Hall Journalism And of Achievement honoree. Sports Pioneers Two Medill alumni lead 5 Student Quote 8 Club Events Morehouse and University 6 Medill News 32 Class Notes of Georgia journalism and 6 Student News 34 Obituaries sports programs. 7 Faculty News 38 Keep Reading ... ABIGAIL SEWELL (MSJ10) FALL 2015 4 5 DIRECTOR OF ALUMNI RELATIONS AND ENGAGEMENT LETTER Belinda Lichty Clarke (MSJ94) FROM THE EDITORIAL ALUMNI DEAN STAFF QUOTE MANAGING EDITOR Aileen Cruz (MSJ01) There's something edill will open a new San Francisco site in the DESIGN M spring. Amanda Good about the NU-Q wildcat Our goal is to be the leading school in our field in CONTRIBUTING EDITORS innovation and technology with the San Francisco Jasmine Rangel Leonas experience that's so campus, just as Medill was a leader 50 years ago in Kaitlyn Thomson (BSJ11) opening its Washington program. FACULTY ADVISER incredibly unique. Northwestern officials will sign the lease for 44 Charles Whitaker (BSJ80, MSJ81) Montgomery St. this summer. Formerly the headquarters PHOTOGRAPHERS of Wells Fargo, it’s in an ideal location next to Market Street WE BLEED PURPLE. John Johnston Bradley J. Hamm and a Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) station. Northwestern Marc Zarefsky (BSJ07) will rent the 18th floor, and the McCormick School of “ CONTRIBUTORS Engineering and Applied Science will join with us. WE ROAR TOGETHER. In addition, Northwestern is opening an alumni and donor relations Ellen Blum Barish (COMM81, MSJ84) Kirstin Fawcett (MSJ13) office in the same building. A great advantage for Medill and McCormick We are just a few thousand Erin Golden (MSJ07) is the large number of alumni living and working in the San Francisco and Angela Kwan (MSJ09) miles away, trying to Silicon Valley area. Clare Ling (BSJ18) The San Francisco program is open to all of our undergraduate and graduate Beth Moellers leave our mark on students. They can spend a quarter there enrolled in classes or working on Kelsey Bjelland Ogletree (MSJ10) residency or summer immersion programs. The first classes will start in April Elliott Smith (BSJ97) 2016, the spring quarter, and we will operate year-round with classes and special another side of EDITORIAL ASSISTANTS programs. Katharine Fasano the world. The floor design includes classrooms, broadcast space, a design lab for Courtney Wessel (IMC16) McCormick, presentation areas and small-group work rooms. The space will RESEARCH ASSISTANTS match the style of many new San Francisco companies. Renovation of the Virginia Brown (MSJ11) current space will start in early fall and take several months. Dan Murphy (MSJ11) A significant feature of the San Francisco program is the combination JAIMEE LEE HADDAD (BSJ15), NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY of McCormick and Medill in one location. Some of our faculty and students IN QATAR have worked together over the past four years in the Knight Lab, knightlab. northwestern.edu, as “a team of technologists and journalists working at advancing news media innovation through exploration and experimentation.” CORRECTION: An IMC (SFO) alumni event in the spring 2015 issue inaccu- The lab was started with funding by the Knight Foundation of Miami as a rately states that alumna Pam Dayton (IMC98) is Rei Damond. creative way to link outstanding schools in computer science and journalism. CORRECTION: The obituary for Lynn In two of the past three years, a Knight Lab product, Timeline JS, was used by S. Slovonsky in the spring 2015 issue newspapers as part of their Pulitzer-winning journalism. More than 300,000 incorrectly referred to Mr. Slovonsky’s birthplace as Youngstown, Pennsylva- “ people throughout the world have used the technology. nia. He was born in Youngstown, Ohio. McCormick Dean Julio Ottino and I will expand our partnership in San Francisco. We believe the San Francisco site has the potential for new programs PLEASE SEND 1845 Sheridan Rd. STORY PITCHES Evanston, IL not yet imagined. AND LETTERS TO: 60208 b-clarke@ In spring 2016, we will celebrate the 50th anniversary of Medill’s northwestern.edu Washington program. Alumni who studied and worked there over the years talk about how important it was for their education and careers. I expect San PRINTED BY: Active Francisco to be just as influential. 5500 W. 31st St. Cicero, IL 60804 uniqueactive.com COPYRIGHT 2015 MEDILL FALL 2015 6 MEDILL/STUDENT NEWS MEDILL/FACULTY NEWS 7 By Kaitlyn Thompson (BSJ11) By Clare Ling (BSJ18) HOMECOMING/ NEW IMC INITIATIVES CONNECT INSIGHTS FROM EDGERLY TAKES AN IN-DEPTH REUNIONS 2015 - WE HOPE TO SEE YOU! CONSUMER DATA LOOK AT PATTERNS OF You’re invited to these Medill Events MEDIA CONSUMPTION on Homecoming Weekend (Oct. 16-17, 2015) edill IMC recently developed two initiatives to The council is currently conducting research on loyalty advance research and give students deep skills programs, in-store shopper behavior and the impact of Dean’s Reception Friday, Oct. 16 @ 3:30 p.m. in using technology and analytics for marketing marketing stimuli on purchase decisions. It hosted its first event M 1870 Campus Drive, Evanston communications. on June 10 and 11 featuring 50 attendees from retailers, retail Please join us for an open house and dean’s The Omni-Channel Initiative and the Retail Analytics technology firms and universities. reception, which will be held in Fisk Hall and in Council further establish the IMC program in leading customer Medill’s other venture into real-time marketing is the the lobby of the McCormick Foundation Center purchase behavior and marketing solutions. Faculty and Omni-Channel Initiative which developed in response to building (behind Fisk Hall). Admission is free and students conduct research studies and class projects utilizing the rise of omni-channel marketing — a trend that’s forcing no tickets are required. digital marketing suites such as Radian6 and IBM Social marketers to develop personalized messaging and deploy those Media Analytics, leveraging social media monitoring tools and communications across channels. This initiative allows graduate Medill Tailgate conducting predictive analytics. Through advanced coursework, and undergraduate students and faculty to work together ssistant Professor Stephanie Edgerly has long been interested Saturday, Oct. 17 @ 9 a.m. IMC graduate students can earn a certification in IBM digital with outside companies, like IBM, to address real-time digital in the ways that audiences consume news — and more 1633 Central Street, Evanston and social media products to differentiate themselves in the job communications challenges. specifically, the ways in which they combine different media Medill is pleased to host its own tailgate two hours A prior to kickoff. Howard Dubin, class of 1954, is kind market. “We combine Big Data analytics and insight-driven platforms while doing so. enough to loan us his Manufacturer’s News company Medill IMC formed the Retail Analytics Council (RAC) in marketing to develop omni-channel communications across “I think we hear a lot about people tuning into certain media outlets, parking lot for a tented (and heated!) tailgate each partnership with the Platt Research Institute to study consumer social, mobile, web, retail and traditional media,” says Randy like Fox News for instance, and the effects of that,” Edgerly says. “But for year. Look for the large tent just west of the stadium shopping behavior across retail platforms, and to investigate Hlavac, lecturer and director of the initiative.