Necessity is the mother of invention (and so is my college roommate)

Necessity is the mother of invention (and so is my college roommate)

I always knew my college roommate Teri was destined for great things. While I idly scanned ids at the recreation center to earn college spending money, Teri kept the books for Gimbels, a large department store in Milwaukee. I always marvelled that such a sophisticated store had a 21-year old bookkeeper. She earned an engineering [...]

#HappyVeteransDay to my friend Steve “Bronco” Broniarczyk

#HappyVeteransDay to my friend Steve “Bronco” Broniarczyk

When Fred Rogers famously told scared children to “always look for the helpers,” he was talking about people like my friend Steve “Bronco” Broniarczyk. I knew Bronco was a helper the day I met him, in journalism class at Marquette University more than 30 years ago. He read my articles, offered friendly feedback and gave [...]

Here’s to real news and the brave people who risk their lives to pursue it

Here’s to real news and the brave people who risk their lives to pursue it

Nearly 42 years ago, I wrote a letter to ABC news. A fifth grade student and aspiring journalist, I asked about the danger reporters faced, especially in war zones. I'd been following coverage of the Vietnam War and wanted to know if reporters really were risking their lives in pursuit of the story. A letter [...]