1956
Ted Bacino, a Northern Star Hall of Famer, received his own personalized
star in the sidewalk in Palm Springs, Calif. The Rockford native has spent
his career in theater production. He now lives part of the year in Palm
Springs and part in Venice, Italy. Ted's star was unveiled Nov. 25, 2005,
in front of 102 North Palm Canyon Drive. Others include Frank Sinatra, Bob
Hope, Gerald Ford, Liberace, Sophia Loren, Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley,
Ronald Reagan, Roy Rogers and Mickey Rooney.
1960
Bob Rader is retired and living in Belvidere, Ill., substitute
teaching in the local schools and
"scaring the bejesus out of all the little kids that don't pay attention
to my drill instructor-like voice. In January, it will be 50 years since
he enrolled at what was then Northern Illinois State College. Bob gets to
NIU regularly for ballgames and wrestling meets and maintains his membership
in the Marine Corps Combat Correspondents Association, Marine Corps League
and other veterans organizations. Two sons and a son-in-law also are Marine
vets.
Al Erisman is director of the Center for Integrity in Business
at Seattle Pacific University, and also is executive editor of Ethix (www.ethix.org).
Al spent two weeks in late June on a research trip in the Central African
Republic. His group, supporting an NGO there, interviewed people from the
Minister of Economics to small entrepreneurs, looking at the feasibility
of Micro?Economic Development there.
George Stoltz and his wife, Sandy, have decided to become full-time
RVers in the autumn of 2009. They plan to travel the U.S and Canada for
a minimum of two, possibly three years. George has promised to visit Joe
Distelheim and Jim Price during their travels. George also says he still
misses those late nights spent putting the Star to bed.
1963
Barry Schrader and his wife, Kay, have moved back to DeKalb after
living in and around Livermore, Calif. For 39 years. He retired from his
job at the Lawrence Livermore Lab this summer and also retired as a columnist/historian
for the local newspaper, The Independent.
Obituary
George "Dick" Blomstrann died of cancer Nov. 6, 2005, in Winter
Haven, Fla. He was 63. Joe Distelheim notes that Dick was a key part of
The Northern Star from 1960-64, the last three years as its business manager.
Throughout, he was an irrepressible spirit, keeper of the "postage
fund" that bought a late-night pizza or several and driver of the ugliest,
longest DeSoto convertible ever built. He retired in 1995 as CFO of Early
Childhood Resources in Winter Haven. Dick was preceded in death by his wife,
Elizabeth "Libbe" Blomstrann.65
Joe Distelheim, a Northern Star Hall of Famer, and his wife Dottie are retired
and live in Hilton Head Island, S.C.
1965
Stan Dziedzic and his wife, Laura, are spoiling their second
grandchild, Alexander John. Stan retired three years ago from the Empress
River Casino in Joliet after 11 years as a multi?games dealer. Retirement
finds him on the board of directors of the LaSalle County Historical Society,
co-producing a historical weekly feature for the Ottawa (Ill.) Republican-Times,
and submitting occasional columns and op-ed pieces. Stan moved to Ottawa
from Bolingbrook a year ago A charter member of Tri Swine Omega, he writes
his own blurbs.
1966
Bill Hetland, a Donald R. Grubb Distinguished Alumni Award winner,
is in his 16th year with Nicasa (Northern Illinois Council on Alcoholism
and Substance Abuse) in Lake County, Ill. Nicasa is one of the largest substance
abuse prevention and treatment agencies in Illinois. He is communications,
court services and problem gambling outreach coordinator. Bill and Phil
Anderson, his life partner of more than 17 years, are active in promoting
understanding of the challenges facing gays. Phil was paralyzed from the
waist down in a February 2001 accident and has subsequently endured a major
stroke, numerous seizures and other health problems. They are longtime residents
of Kenosha, Wis.
1967
Gary Watson, a Northern Star Hall of Famer, retired as president
of Gannett Company's Newspaper Division in September 2005. "It's been
an incredible run with a great company," Watson said in a Gannett press
release. "It's been my privilege to work with 37,000 professionals
who clearly understand the meaning of service to our readers and advertisers.
To each of these friends and colleagues, let me say thank you.
"Perhaps most gratifying has been the growth of our division from 91
daily and Sunday newspapers in 1985 to a collection of more than 170 information
businesses that also includes more than 900 weekly and specialty publications,
database management, software development, commercial printing and the strongest
network of local web sites in the country."
"Gary Watson was a success throughout his career in whatever role he served Gannett, from entry level reporter to publisher to president of our Newspaper Division," said Craig A. Dubow, president and chief executive officer of Gannett. "First and foremost, Gary has always had the heart of a journalist. He has been a strong leader, not only at Gannett, but also within the nation's newspaper industry. He was in large part responsible for many of the leading-edge strategic and tactical initiatives at Gannett during his time with us. Gary will be missed. We wish him all the best."
Watson began his newspaper career as a carrier for his hometown newspaper, the Rockford Register Star, where he later served as a news intern, reporter, political editor and city editor in the 1970s. After stints at The Idaho Statesman in Boise and the Springfield (Mo.) News Leader, he returned to Rockford in 1981 to become president and publisher of the Register Star. In 1984-85, he was president and publisher of the Cincinnati Enquirer and president of the Central Newspaper Group. In late 1985, he joined the corporate staff as president of the Community Newspaper Division. He became president of the Newspaper Division in 1990.
1968
Kurt Sipolski of Palm Desert, Calif., accepted a playwrighting
scholarship from the National Theatre Workshop of the Handicapped in Belfast,
Maine in July. For the first time, "Wounded Warriors," those vets
wounded in the Middle East attended and wrote monologues of their experience.
The New York Times and HBO chronicled the event. Sipolski's monologue was
a version of his internationally published memoir of his mother raising
him with polio. He hopes to adapt it for the screen or stage. He has written
about his experiences for the Palm Springs paper, The Desert Sun.
1969
Allan Zullo, a 2005 Hall of Fame inductee, is author of more
than 80 nonfiction books, many for general readership and others for young
adults. He has two series with Scholastic: "Haunted Kids," featuring
stories of the supernatural based on real cases, and "Ten True Tales,"
stories of typical young people in extraordinary situations. His latest
published book for general audiences is "Dogmania: Amazing But True
Canine Tales" (Andrews McMeel). This year, Running Press is publishing
his newest book, "A Month of Madness," offbeat stories about the
NCAA basketball tournament. Allan and his wife, Kathryn, live on a mountain
outside of Asheville, N.C.
Website: www.allanzullo.com.
1970
Mark Gould has completed his sixth year as director of the public
information office at the American Library Association, a 65,000 member
trade association, located in downtown Chicago. Gould and his staff of seven
work in the areas of communications services, media relations, advocacy
and public awareness.
As part of a literacy partnership with the National Baseball Hall of Fame,
Gould appeared with Hall of Famer Ozzie Smith at the St. Louis Public Library
and took part in an on-field event at Bush Stadium, home of the St. Louis
Cardinals, with Smith prior to a game in April. Mark, a Cubs fan, placed
a message in his pants pocket during the pre-game celebration that said:
"Cubs rock." Gould has two sons who love sports and attend Niles
West High School in Skokie. He lives in Skokie, Ill.
Mike Korcek retired in August as NIU's
sports information director (see story). He will continue to haunt his alma
mater on a part-time basis as SID emeritus.
1971
Norm Cohen is deputy sports editor for Newsday on Long Island,
N.Y. He's responsible for the Sunday and special sections. His son, Andrew,
bangs the drums at South Florida, where he is a freshman. His wife, Sylvia
King-Cohen, also works at Newsday. Norm says it's impossible to get back
to DeKalb for football games because he works Saturdays, "but I did
manage to catch the Huskies' last game in Buffalo, where I knew absolutely
no one."
Tom Wartowski, BA '71 & JD '99, is administrative assistant
state's attorney for Winnebago County, Ill. He was married in 2003 to Angela
Brancato, a 2005 JD from NIU. His son, David, got married in October 2005
to Alecia Humphrey, JD from the University of Wisconsin. David teaches math
at Evanston Township High School. He's the only non-lawyer in the immediate
family. That probably makes him the smart one, Tom says.
1972
Candace Perkins Bowen (BS '72, MA '81), a Northern Star Hall
of Famer, was named director of the Center for Scholastic Journalism at
Kent State University. The Center will continue the work Candace began at
the university when she started the program to work with high school journalism
teachers and their students 11 years ago. In addition, it will include the
Knight Chair in Scholastic Journalism, a recently endowed position to be
filled in 2007. On the personal side, Candace's husband John "retired"
from teaching high school journalism and now teaches as an adjunct at Kent
State. Son Jeff is a newpaper designer at the Lexington Herald Leader, and
daughter Jen is associate editor for special projects at Cleveland Magazine.
Son Skip is getting married in October, and daughter Corey will present
the family with its first grandchild this winter.
1973
Cary Baker operates conqueroo, a public relations firm in Los
Angeles representing music recording artists (www.conqueroo.com). Prior
to that, he worked as VP of publicity at
five record companies including Capitol and I.R.S. Records. He also worked
as a music journalist.
1975
Deborah Nelson has joined the faculty of the University of Maryland's
Philip Merrill College of Journalism to lead the new Carnegie Seminar program.
The 1997 Pulitzer Prize winner, and Northern Star Hall of Famer, left her
position as Washington investigative editor for the Los Angeles Times to
take the new role.
"Deb Nelson is widely considered one of the best journalists in America,"
Dean Thomas Kunkel said in a press release. "Our college and our students
are very fortunate to have her joining us. She is not only a great reporter
and editor but one of the most thoughtful people in our business."
Nelson will co-teach the Carnegie Seminar and oversee the student journalism
projects. She also will teach investigative reporting, law, ethics and other
courses.
"This was an irresistible opportunity," said Nelson. "Not
only will I get to teach at one of the country's top journalism schools,
I'll help launch an innovative program that could make a real difference.
So many people are wringing their hands about the future of the news business.
I'd rather be actively trying to influence it. I've had a long, rich career
as a reporter and an editor, and I'm as excited about this new venture as
anything I've done."
Nelson won a Pulitzer Prize for investigative reporting in 1997 for her
report on abuses in HUD's Indian housing program, with Eric Nalder and Alex
Tizon at the Seattle Times. As an editor she has worked on two other Pulitzer-winning
projects.
1977
Mark Brown is the page 2 columnist for the Chicago Sun-Times.
Barbara Parus lives in Chandler, Ariz.
David Timmersman, Northern Star Advertising Manager from 1975-77,
is national sales manager for Northern Wire Products. He has lived in downtown
Minneapolis for the past 3 ½ years after many years in the Rockford
area.
1982
Mike Burke and partner Bob Charles have moved, but still live
in Chicago. For Mike's book reviews, social commentary and political opinion
visit www.ChicagoWriter.blogspot.com.
Mike is a 2006 Northern Star Hall of Fame inductee.
1983
Jack Metzger has been with the Sun-Times Company for 22 years,
serving as new media
sales manager for the past six. "It has been fascinating to experience
the transformation of our newspaper industry by the digital medium,"
he says. "This year my company is reorganizing itself from a corporation
that focuses on publishing newspapers to a media organization that leverages
the strength our quality content equally across multiple platforms including
print, online and wireless." Jack lives in La Grange, Ill., with his
life partner of 16 years, Ed, and their two children; Victor (5) and Joseph
(3).
1984
Paul Amundsen does Nonprofit Consulting, Facilitation and Planning
(www.paulamundsen.org). He lives
in Zion, Ill.
Mark Bonne is the community development coordinator for the Rockford Public Schools. He previously worked for the Rockford Register Star.
Sharyl Holtzman has moved to the Silverlake neighborhood of Los
Angeles.
Scott Williams is a reporter for the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.
1985
Laura (LeMar) Kjosen is an adjunct instructor and writing center
tutor at Arapahoe Community College in Littleton, Colorado. She lives in
Littleton with husband, Glenn, and two sons, Evan and Liam.
1988
Dave Tuley is Las Vegas correspondent for the Daily Racing Form.
Jeff Vogelsang is a managing partner with Promontory Point Partners,
LLC. He and his wife have a 3-year-old daughter and live in Chicago.
1989
David Marquardt and wife Denice have a new baby girl, Jaimie
Ruth born November 26, 2005. Jaimie's older brother Jonathan is 3 years
old. David is a partner at Ernst & Young LLP in Chicago.
1990
Tricia O'Halloran (B.S. '90, M.A. '92) is a Clinical Audiologist
Supervisor at the Community Hospital in Munster, Ind. Tricia, her husband,
and her children Alyssa and Joey live in Peotone, Ill.
Tim Ryan and his wife Heather have lived through Katrina. They are
currently living in their garden shed, in New Orleans, since their home
was severely damaged by the hurricane. Tim reports that aside from the devastation,
and the less than desirable arrangements, they are doing quite well and
have adapted. Tim is the Executive Director of NOVAC. Their documentary
is the most viewed "Hurricane Katrina" related documentary on
the nation's 18th most viewed Web site, www.youtube.com.
1991
Karri Christiansen and her husband, Tim Unzicker, live in Naperville
with the three cats. Karri freelances occasionally, and works part-time
as a fashion consultant for J.Jill, a store in downtown Naperville.
Greg Rivara and his wife Joelle McGinnis have a second
child, Gianna Marie born in November 2005. Firstborn Quentin was 2 years
old in January.
1992
Ron Golminas is an Advertising Account Manager for Newsweek in
Chicago. He, his wife and two sons live in Naperville.
Sean Leary has had a busy year in and out of journalism. He remains
entertainment editor for The Dispatch, Rock Island Argus and Leader newspapers,
a music reporter for Amplifier magazine and an on-air pop culture correspondent
for radio stations KBOB-FM, WXLP-FM and B100. He's also added jobs as on-air
pop culture correspondent for radio station Star 93.5 and ABC-TV affiliate
WQAD-TV8 to his resume. He had
two books published in the past year, including the graphic novel "Exorcising
Ghosts" which he wrote and illustrated. In addition to producing productions
of "Closer," "Santaland Diaries" and "This Is Our
Youth" with his theater and film company My Verona, he also wrote,
directed, produced and acted in the sketch comedies "Dingo Boogaloo
2: Taco's Revenge" and "Dingo Boogaloo 2.5: The Bride of Chickenzilla."
He is currently directing and producing the Midwest debut of the award-winning
Broadway hit "The Pillowman" and writing a science-fiction novel,
"Animal Magnetism," while shopping it to sci-fi publishers. A
trade paperback collection of his short stories, titled "Every Number
Is Lucky To Someone" will be released worldwide this fall. For more
information on his various endeavors, see www.seanleary.com.
Wes Swietek is Managing Editor at the Herald-Citizen in Cookeville,
Tenn. Wes took the position in 2005. Previously he worked at the Walton
Tribune in Monroe, Ga. Wes and his wife Molly live in Cookeville, Tenn.
1993
Rob Heselbarth is editor of Residential Design & Build magazine,
covering the U.S. custom home market. Rob is married to Kim Elledge. They
live in Algonquin, Ill.
David Oliveira is a sales director at yahoo.com. David previously
worked at Gator.com, Wall Street Journal and Chicago Tribune. David, his
wife Su and their three children live in Chicago.
Julie (Piro) Sassano, after 13 rewarding years - left KPMG to join full-time the successful design business she and her husband, Philip, started 10 years ago. Julie and Philip have three children: Zoe (2), Mia (4) and Luke (6). The family lives in Chicago.
Jana Ronayne is a copy editor on the night news desk at the Daily Herald in Arlington Heights, Ill. She lives in Glenview.
1993/92
Eric Krol ('93) and Stacy Christiansen-Krol ('92, '94)
welcomed their second child, Nicholas Christian, on June 2. He joins older
brother Jackson, 3. Eric remains political writer at the Daily Herald, Illinois'
third?largest paper, while Stacy continues as copy editing manager at the
Journal of the American Medical Association, the nation's second?largest
medical journal.
1994
Michael Berg has kept moving companies busy lately. In March
2005, he left his Deputy Editor position at Muscle & Fitness in Los
Angeles to head up Showbiz Weekly magazine in Las Vegas. However, in June
2005, he moved back to Los Angeles to become Executive Editor of Flex magazine,
Muscle & Fitness' sister publication. In January 2006, he was promoted
to Editor of Flex, and hopes to stay put for a while, as he recently purchased
a new condo in Stevenson Ranch, a suburb just north of L.A. Although he
now resides many many miles from his Chicago hometown, seeing the White
Sox finally win the World Series was just as sweet from afar in California.
Tom Collins is owner/president of Collins Consulting, and is a
senior technical instructor for UTStarcom Corporation. He and his family
are building a house in Oswego, Ill., and hope to move in October.
Matt Gronlund, works at Allured Publishing Corp. as publisher
of Cosmetics & Toiletries magazine, Perfumer & Flavorist magazine
and the Journal of Essential Oil Research. Matt lives in Wheaton, Ill.,
with his wife, Kelly, and daughter, Kate.
1995
Allison (Kozak) Barham and husband Bryan have a new baby, Luke
born June 25, 2006. Allison is a sales executive at the Chicago Tribune.
Jim Huguelet recently resigned as CIO of Aquascape Designs to
restart his information technology consulting business, The Huguelet Group
LLC, whose clients include BP and McDonald's Corporation. Jim and his wife,
Stephanie, live in Bolingbrook.
dAnny Alig Jacobson still lives in Switzerland. He's married,
no kids yet, running in mountain races, and working as an English teacher.
He now works for a private business IT school which
offers a kind of masters diploma in IT/Business and a trade school/apprenticeship
for teenagers/young adults where English is part of the curriculum. "So
I now have access to the teen hip-hop/gaming freak culture," he says.
He and his wife spend a fair amount of time dancing what is known as Lindyhop
in classes, workshops, parties, and at home. "It's the dance everyone
was doing back in the 20s & 30s to Swing Jazz. It's good fun and a great
way to visit different cities around the world as everywhere has a scene.
We just got back from Sweden where we had classes and danced at the nightly
parties for about 12 hours a day for one week at a 'dance camp' outside
of Stockholm, with hundreds of other people from all over the world."
Tony Leva is a special-education teacher and basketball coach
in Palatine, Ill. He and his wife, Tracey, have been married nine years
and have two children, Kyle (7) and Kailynn (5).
Zach Smith is national sales manager for WGN Television in Chicago.
Previously Zach was working with Fox News in Dallas, TX.
Kris (Kochanek) Verhage moved to moved to Traverse City, Mich.,
in April 2005 and married Scott Verhage in October 2005. Kris is now a copy
editor for the Traverse City Record-Eagle, a daily serving northwestern
Lower Michigan. Previously, she was a reporter and a news editor in Chicago's
western suburbs.
1996
Markos Moulitsas, host of the popular Democratic blog, DailyKos.com, has a book out, "Crashing
the Gate: Netroots, Grassroots, and the Rise of People-Powered Politics,"
coauthored with Jerome Armstrong. Markos describes it as "a critical
look at the decayed state of the Democratic Party and the progressive movement,
and how they can start winning elections once again. The key is use of technology
to fuel a new progressive movement, divorced from the ineffective party
and activist establishments of the past." Markos has been interviewed
numerous times in the national media, including appearances on "Meet
the Press" and even Comedy Central's "The Colbert Report."
Lesley Rogers left the Indianapolis Star last summer and moved
to Seattle. She is a business reporter covering the global seafood industry
for IntraFish Media, a Norwegian?based publication.
1997
Christopher Belec married Cecilia January 14, 2006. He is the
National Retail Manager for Hoy, a Chicago Tribune publication.
Peter Denk is a staff writer for the Thoroughbred Times in Lexington,
Ky.
Kristophere' Owens is a marketing and public relations specialist
for Elgin Community College, Elgin, Ill. He and his wife, Tiana, celebrated
their two-year anniversary Sept. 18. They live in Rockford, Ill.
Jim Rudny is the president of J Rudny Dynamic Web Solutions.
Jason Schaumburg is assistant managing editor for visuals and
production for the
NorthWest News Group, Crystal Lake, Ill.
1998
Eric Barnes is engaged to Brenda Bingham, due to marry in spring
2007. Eric is an advertising sales representative, in the real estate area,
for the Chicago Tribune.
Erin Hallstrom-Erickson recently celebrated her one year anniversary
with my husband, Aaron, and her two stepchildren, Ana and Matt. Erin is
the group managing editor for Reed Business Information's Residential Construction
magazines. She also has an up?and?coming professional organizing business.
She and her family live in Romeoville, Ill.
Jaime Jordan is Web Editor for the Dallas Business Journal. She
lives in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
David Lipien and his wife, Jill, have a son, Luke, born in March
2005. David works for Global Services: Chicago, a division of IBM. He also
is enrolled at the University of Notre Dame in the part-time MBA program
and expects to graduate in May 2007.
Mike Logan was awarded the prestigious Campbell Award in February
2006. The recognition is given to Tribune employees for overall excellence.
Mike is an executive at Chicago Tribune Interactive.
Dietrich Martin works for the Chicago Tribune as a systems analyst,
doing system administration, application support and programming. He also
has finished his military career with 10 years in the Army National Guard.
He is single and lives in Chicago.
1999
Christy Arnold has returned to Florida, to the Charlotte Sun,
the paper she helped make a 2004 Pulitzer finalist for its coverage of Hurricane
Charley. Christy was awarded the Young Alumni Award at this year's Northern
Star Hall of Fame dinner. She spent a brief stint as a crime reporter at
the Cincinnati Enquirer.
"I missed hearing the howling winds of a hurricane whipping through
tiny cracks in the office, seeing roofs blowing in the gentle breezes and
baking in the summer Florida heat after a storm knocks out air conditioning,"
she said. "I am home again, at least until the next hurricane blows
it away."
This past year, she also won a first-place award for feature writing from
the Florida Society of Newspaper Editors.
Matt Bute and wife Julie have a new baby, Jack, born Feb. 12,
2006.
Matt is the sales manager for RedEye, a Tribune publication.
Heather (McLindsey) Dean has been promoted to the position of Group
Sales Manager for TAP Pharmaceutical Products Inc. Heather and Kevin
(also a Star alum) are expecting their first child in October 2006.
Wade Duerkes just finished his MFA in photography at NIU. He still
works for NIU Media Services, where he recently was reclassified as a Digital
Imaging Specialist II. He also is teaching Digital Photography and History
of Photography at Waubonsee Community College and will teach Beginning Photography
at NIU this fall. He and his wife, Pauline, have a daughter, Lillian, who
turns 3 this December.
Spiro Georgelos, in partnership with his older brother, George,
has started a small mortgage Company that serves the Chicago area. Spiro's
primary responsibilities include marketing, business development, sales
training and corporate compliance.
Veronica Gonzalez is a reporter for the Star-News, Wilmington
N.C. She covers higher education and immigration. She also writes for the
paper's Wilmington Magazine. This past year, she bought her first home,
an adorable yellow house with a huge front porch. Her two cats love it.
David Spitz is single, lives in Chicago's Wrigleyville neighborhood
and works as a direct marketing associate for HSBC.
Bill Tynan is a police officer in St. Charles, Ill. He says he's
taken an interest in construction equipment theft (prosecuting it, that
is), which is a big problem in Illinois, and has attended a couple training
classes for that. He lives in Naperville, but is currently house-hunting.
2000
Joe Biesk is a statehouse reporter with The Associated Press
in Kentucky. His girlfriend, Kate McCann, moved down from Chicago in April,
they bought a house in June and got engaged in August.
Erica (Gallagher) Burke was promoted to senior copy editor for
Schofield Media Ltd. Love, Chicago - the quarterly magazine she founded
in 2004 - is still going strong. They've received good reviews from magazines
like UR Chicago, Punk Planet and Venus Zine and blogs such as Radio Free
Chicago and Chicagomusik (not to mention a story in the Northern Star).
Erica lives in Chicago with her husband, former Northern Star cartoonist
Jason Burke ('00), who is the art teacher at Elm Middle School in
Elmwood Park.
Eric Clark is arts and entertainment reporter at the Gazette in
Cedar
Rapids, Iowa.
Michelle (Peck) Friedrich married Ken in November 2005. She recently
completed her master of science in public service management at DePaul University.
Michelle works for the City of Lake Forest as permit coordinator.
Ken works for the DuPage County Forest Preserve District.
Jennifer Haney works for Wilson Sporting Goods. Jen was previously
employed at Walgreens.
Tracy Keane has worked the past 2 years as a graphic designer
in the studio department at Euro RSCG Life Central, Chicago. The bulk of
his projects remain to be? printed brochures, binders & other collateral,
CD covers, posters, invitations for client meetings and other creative advertising
material.
Joe Menard is a Metro reporter at the Detroit News, covering several
suburban communities and doing general assignment work. He and his wife,
Dawn, had our first child, Ava Dolores, last Oct. 15. Dawn is a part-time
stay-at-home mom and a part-time substitute teacher for suburban Detroit
schools. "We are all doing well and working on returning to the Chicagoland
area within the next couple of years," Joe reports.
Kevin Slattery has been working for the Chicago Convention and
Tourism Bureau for the last five years in the marketing communications department,
Web content, publications, marketing collateral materials, photo shoots
"and whatever else they want to pile on my desk." He recently
graduated from the Chicago Architecture Foundation's docent program. He
gives historic and modern architecture walking tours in Chicago on the weekends.
"I am also a professional wedding attendee," he says. "I
have either been in a wedding, have attended or will be in a wedding nine
times this summer/fall."
Kevin Wendt, who spent the past year as an assigning editor in
business for the San Jose (Calif.) Mercury News, has been named the paper's
executive news editor. He now oversees the newspaper three nights a week
and has overall responsibility for the copy desks. Kevin joined the Mercury
News two days after he graduated from NIU. A company memo said: "He
has been news design director, overseeing news, business and sports design
for three years to much applause from the design community (the paper was
judged one of the best-designed in the world under his watch). Kevin also
was part of the Knight Ridder effort to help get the Biloxi Sun-Herald on
the streets during Hurricane Katrina; that coverage won a Pulitzer Prize.
Kevin is indefatigable and has the kind of breaking news metabolism that
will serve him well in his new role."
2001
Nissa Batson works at Morgan Stanley Credit Corporation in Riverwoods,
Ill.
Whitney Carnahan recently became features editor for Rental Management
Magazine, the official publication of the American Rental Association, based
in Moline, Ill. She previously worked at The Rock Island Argus/The Dispatch/The
Leader in Rock Island, Ill., for almost five years. She lives in Davenport.
Gary Heller is a graphic designer for the Kane County Chronicle
in Geneva, Ill. He got married in August 2005; he and his wife, Katie, live
in DeKalb.
Josh Gaby works on the Chicago Sun Times sports desk as (interchangeably)
a copy editor and page designer. His wife, Kati, and he were married in
November 2004, and now live in Chicago's Avondale neighborhood. They are
expecting their first child in late September.
Melanie Miller works at Warner Music Group in Aurora. She is with
Alternative Distribution Alliance (a sub company of Warner), the top indie
distributor in the nation right now. "It's super busy here as it seems
we are adding new labels every day," she says.
Tom Molony works at St. Ignatius College Prep as the director
of communications and
marketing and resides in the near suburbs with his family.
Bob Nelson passed the bar in summer 2005 and now works at Foote,
Meyers, Mielke & Flowers in Geneva, Ill.
Jennifer (D'Souza) Pinto, her husband Oscar and dog Toshiba, live
in Leonia, N.J., after living in West Palm Beach, Fla., for about six months
in 2005. Jennifer worked at The Palm Beach Post for a few months prior to
moving and now works at The Record in Hackensack, N.J., as an editorial
writer/copy editor/designer for the advertising/special sections department.
Oscar's job at Unilever Slim Fast Foods brought them to New Jersey. Hurricane
Wilma hit them the weekend right before their move, so they were happy to
relocate.
Erica (Fatland) Semenchuk works as a Policy Analyst for Aon Service
Corporation in Glenview, Ill. She and husband Charlie have lived in Round
Lake, Ill., for two years and celebrated their four-year wedding anniversary
July 20. Erica also writes freelance reviews for the Midweek's Take One
section. She and Charlie also volunteer at their local animal shelter. They
recently started leading a Junior Volunteers group where they teach pre-teens
and teenagers about the dogs at the shelter and how to interact with them.
Steve Woodruff works for James Hardie Building Products in Southern
Calif. He says he hopes to return to the Chicago area in a few years. "All
the sunlight out here is starting to make me crazy."
2002
Christian Arrecis teaches photography classes at Kishwaukee College,
is involved in various freelance photographic work and is a part?time photographer
for the Elburn Herald. He lives in DeKalb with his wife, April, who is heavily
involved with TAILS Humane Society and the Ellwood House Museum, and their
3 dogs, Slim, Iggy and Greta.
Josh Albrecht is the manager of the Valley Free Press newspaper,
a 15,000 circulation weekly out of Sandwich, Ill. The VFP is a division
of NI Publishing, which means that Josh does a variety of things for The
MidWeek and the Daily Chronicle, too. He lives with is wife, Kelly, and
son, Owen, in DeKalb. Owen is now 1 year old and already is conditioning
himself to be a major league pitcher. "The Cubs have used so many rookie
pitchers this year that I really think he has a chance," Josh says.
Hank Brockett is managing editor of The MidWeek in DeKalb County.
He also manages to write obscure pop culture references into his reviews
for Take ONE, a monthly entertainment magazine. He recently launched a Web
site compiling baseball book reviews and news called The Baseball Bookshelf
(www.baseballbookshelf.com). Given all this, he says, any personal life
changes would be pushing it.
Lynn Celmer is a lifestyle editor for Liberty Suburban Chicago
Newspapers in their North Riverside office.
Nick Franklin works for DNA Communications in Rochelle, Ill.
Kim (Hodge) Gonzalez and her husband, Rick, had their first baby
girl, Ava Frances, born July 2, 2006. Kim works at the Park Ridge Police
Department as a community service officer.
Nate Legue was hired as a business reporter this summer by his
hometown paper, the Rockford Register Star. He covers jobs and workplace
issues.
James Loague is a financial aid officer with The Illinois Institute
of Art. He's also the father of a 1-year-old girl, Jayna Andrea Loague.
"I'm a sucker for her. I can't start my day or end my day without holding
her."
Melissa Westphal moved from news to feature reporting at the Rockford
Register
Star in April 2006. Don't worry if she's covered in bruises at the next
alumni dinner. She's probably just recovering from the falls endured during
practice with the local roller derby league.
2003
Barbara Bystryk started working as an account manager for MySpace.com
in March 2006. In August, she ran the Chicago Distance Classic Half Marathon.
She lives in Chicago.
Greg Clemens will marry Katy Boll Nov. 17, 2006. Katy is an NIU
alumna, an art teacher at Mount Carmel High School and a coach of women'
soccer at Saint Xavier University. Greg is an account executive at Tribune
Interactive Real Estate.
Ben Devries and fiancée Holly Leazenby are the parents of
a baby boy, Corbin Osiris DeVries, born Aug. 16. See photos at http://devries79.tripod.com/baby.html.
Ben works as a photographer for the Daily Nonpareil in Council Bluffs, Iowa.
He has received an honorable mention from the International Association
of Fire Fighters the past two years in a photo contest.
Courtney Cavanaugh works as a copywriter for Martopia, a PR/Marketing
firm in St. Charles, Ill.
Todd Krysiak is leaving the Watertown (S.D.) Public Opinion in
early September to become assistant editor of the Portage (Wis.) Daily Register
in Portage, Wis. The Register owned by Capital Newspapers, based in Madison.
Brian Mayfield is the Branch Manager for Wells Fargo Financial
in Saginaw, Mich. Brian and his wife live in Livonia, Mich.
Tara McTague is attending law school at Michigan State University
in Lansing, Mich.
Betsy Perveiler is the Marketing & Communications Coordinator
for the Society of Thoracic Surgeons, a nonprofit educational organization
for surgeons who provide heart, lung and esophageal surgical procedures.
While she's not busy looking up medical terms she doesn't understand, preparing
various member and patient publications, and spiraling into a deep depression
because of the Cubs' dismal number of W's, she's living happily in Chicago's
Lakeview neighborhood with her boyfriend, J.D. Piland ('03), and their two
cats, Oliver and Lily.
John (J.D.) Piland is editor in the Small Business division of
Imagination Publishing, a customer
publisher of both print and online magazines. He has been in this position
since February 2006, when he transferred from B2B publisher Vance Publishing
Corp. in Lincolnshire, Ill., where he was associate editor. J.D. has lived
in the Lakeview area of Chicago for nearly three years with Betsy Perveiler
(Class of '03) -- and, yes, two cats. They (cats excluded) have been together
since their last year at the Star.
Steve Staden reports no kids or wives that he's aware of at this
moment. He has been traveling a lot for work and pleasure: Italy last year
and Ireland this year. He's an IT analyst for Standard Networks Inc., in
Madison, Wis.
2004
Nicholas Alajakis is police and fire reporter for the Naples/Bonita
Daily News in Florida. His proudest moment from the past year came when
The Associated Press picked up his story about a naked man getting Tasered
on his genitals, and it became the 18th-most viewed story in the country,
according to Yahoo.
Karen Castens works as a graphic designer for Rotary International
in Evanston.
Stephanie Gandsey is the Public Information Coordinator for the
Elmhurst Public Library.
Jeff Goluszka has a new job, as a Terms Editor at McMaster-Carr
Supply Co. in Elmhurst, Ill. He helps maintain the index for the company's
3,500-page catalog in addition to updating a database of terms used by customers
to search for products via mcmaster.com. He started in June, after leaving
The Doings newspaper in Hinsdale. Also, Jeff still plays drums in the band
Facing Winter, an acoustic?rock trio that performs regularly in Chicagoland
and throughout the Midwest.
Angel Hernandez exhibited his photographs at Milwaukee's Gallery
Night & Day, July 28 - 29. He also works for Marketing Werks, a mobile
marketing company based in Chicago. Currently, he is manager for the chicagorevolution.com
tour. He manages a crew of 11 in the Chicagoland and Northwest Indiana region.
Linda Luk graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
in spring 2006 with a master's degree in education with an emphasis in higher
education. She is currently seeking a full time position at a Midwestern
university working with college students.
Leslie Mulderink works for Hale, a health supplements company.
Lesley previously worked for the L.A. Business Journal in Los Angeles.
Cory Ohlendorf has had a whirlwind year. After freelancing for
various publications in Washington, D.C., Cory took on a full-time editorial
assistant position at Washingtonian magazine. He soon began contributing
to large cover packages as well as writing individual style pieces and profiles
on D.C.'s boldface names. After nine months at the magazine he was offered
a position at the Washington Post's "Style" section. It was, pardon
the pun, a perfect fit. He still contributes to the magazine, and staying
true to his Northern Star Online roots, recently began writing online-exclusive
features. He also covers fashion and reviews products regularly for Express,
the Washington Post's young, hip commuter paper (think: Red Eye). And he
still writes and edits for the newly reworked Take ONE, which, he is confident,
those still in DeKalb read regularly. He spends most of his time shopping
which he now refers to as "research."
Rashida Restaino works for Jerry Thomas Public Relations and freelances
through her Web site, www.doublerzine.com. She attends Chicago State University,
where she is working on a master's degree in teaching with a certification
in secondary education. She plans to teach high school English.
Dan Sullivan works for Certified Security in River Grove, Ill.
Jaime Swanson works at the Daily Southtown as a front-page designer/copy
editor. She moved to Chicago's Ukrainian Village last winter and is enjoying
every minute of it, except the parking.
Dan Patterson is copy desk chief at The Minnesota Daily. He's
a graduate student in the University of Minnesota's Master of Urban and
Regional Planning program.
Brent Renken, who has been working at The San Francisco Examiner
since summer 2005, has been promoted to sales manager for the Washington
D.C. Examiner. Brent started his new job Sept. 15.
Scott Smith is morning host "Scotty Wylde" at U93 WNDV-FM
in South Bend, Ind. Scott was the first station manager of NSRadio.
2005
Mark Bieganski is a producer for the Chicago Sun-Times Online,
handling online news presentation and production. He accepted the job in
August, after spending a year as visual editor for the Times of Northwest
Indiana. He lives in Chicago's Lakeview area and enjoys post?graduation
paying bills and getting more sleep (sometimes) than he did in college.
Jackie Burke got engaged in May 2006. She is city reporter for
the Aberdeen (S.D.) American News.
Kristin Cavarretta is a junior copywriter for The Marketing Store
in Oak Brook, Ill. She writes the copy for McDonald's Monopoly promotion
coming up in October. She lives in Chicago.
Christina Chapman is a reporter for The Herald News in Joliet,
Ill., covering Grundy County
government, schools and some feature stories. She lives in Romeoville.
Andrea Fernandez works for Exelon and is getting married October
14, 2006.
Mike Morig has been hired as weekend sports anchor at WAOW-TV in Wausau, Wis. Mike shares the anchor desk with 2004 NIU alum Jennifer Kielman.
Marcus Leshock is an entertainment reporter / fill-in host for
"Metromix" on CLTV in Chicago. He writes, edits and appears in
televised stories each night on Chicago's only nightly entertainment show.
As a Tribune employee, his stories also appear on cltv.com, metromix.com,
and chicagotribune.com.
Kate McDonough is the communications manager for the Illinois College
of Emergency Physicians, a nonprofit organization that runs continuing education
courses for EMS professionals. She just moved to Oak Park.
Matt McNutt is promotions coordinator and a show host host for
WZZN, 94.7 Chicago's True Oldies Channel.
Frank Rusnak works at the Chicago Sun-Times on the prep sports
desk, and also writes for theSun-Times News Group. Frank qualified for the
2006 World Series of Poker in Las Vegas by winning a play-in tournament
on the Internet. He outlasted more than 5,000 people and made it to Day
2 of the main event, but missed the big money. He lives in Chicago.
Gerold Shelton lives in Moline, Ill., and works as an assistant
manager at McDonald's on State Street in Bettendorf. He is looking for a
reporting job.
Carrie Stobart works for Mule-Hide Products in Beloit, Wis. as
the warranty and training coordinator. She and Jeff, her fiancé,
bought a new house and are getting married October 21, 2006.
Johnathon Strube is lead sports designer for the Beacon News in
Aurora, Ill.
Nick Swedberg works for the Kane County Chronicle in Geneva, Ill.,
which is a part of the NorthWest News Group of Greater Chicago. He covers
the St. Charles city government and school district.
Ian Waddick is a designer for Pioneer Press.
Jimmy Waynauskas is head photographer at Couture
Photography in Hoffman Estates.
2006
Rasmieyh Abdelnabi is a reporter for the Beloit (Wis.) Daily
News.
Tim Anderson is an accountant for Underwriters Laboratories, Inc.
in Northbrook, Ill.
Chelsea Brady and her boyfriend, Kyle, live in Golden, Colo. Their
townhouse is on the side of a mountain and close to bike paths, rafting
spots and
the Coors Brewery. She's currently job hunting.
Ryan Fletcher works in the creative department of the Daily Chronicle/Midweek in DeKalb, Ill.
Jessica Kalin is community relations director for Provena Pine
View Care Center in St. Charles.
Jessica King moved to Madison, Wis., and is actively looking for
a job. She worked this summer in a temporary position on the copydesk of
the Rockford Register Star.
Dawid Klimek is an assistant manager at the Park Hyatt Regency
in Chicago.
Kaylyn Kuzniar works in marketing/member services for Spoon River
Electric Cooperative in Canton, Ill.
Nathan Lindquist is a sports writer for the Galesburg (Ill.) Register?Mail.
Lilias Pettit-Scott moved to San Francisco in August.
Dominic Poggi is a retail account executive with the San Francisco
Examiner.
Richard Pulfer has taken over full writing duties for the webcomic
"Hector!" at www.risecomics.net. "We've seen a lot of acclaim
from other Web creators, but so far the comic is still a little slow on
the 'rise' part," he reports. Richard also writes for the small e-zine
"Coffee Break For Writers," "where I make half as much as
I did at the Star on pieces twice as long." The actual job search continues,
although he's also launched a career as professional blogger at www.screenhead.com.
Chris Strupp is a graduate student at DePaul University.
Stephanie Szuda is a reporter for The Times of Ottawa, Ill. She
covers the health/wellness beat.
Special
Hallie Hamilton and his wife, Floann, celebrated their 50th wedding
anniversary Aug. 18.