120th Anniversary and Reunion Redux
Snappy Cardinal by Natasha Soglin for DCAA
The first thing: everyone had a good time
Over 200 Cardinal alums came to campus in Madison to revel, reune and remember.
Twenty-one Editors-in-Chief met the deadline and returned, from Robert Lewis in 1942 to incoming Editor Scott Girard (2012-13).
Photo by Peter Barraras
Back Row: Sam-Omar Hall, 2006-07; Andy Wallmeyer, 2000-01; Alex Balistreri, 2004-05; Evan Rytlewski, 2003-04; Emily Winter, 2005-06; Adam Lasker, 1998-99; Steven Reiner, 1969-70; Greg Graze, 1968-69; Cliff Behnke, 1965-66; Steve Kerch, 1977; Bill Swislow, 1976; Scott Girard, 2012-13
Front Row: Emma Roller, 2010-11; Kayla Johnson, 2011-12; Robert G. Lewis, 1941-42; Rachel Cohen, 1988; April Rockstead Barker, 1990; Gail Bensinger, 1964-65; Allison Sansone, 1994
Present but not in Photo: Joe Potente, 2002-03; David Newman, 1974-75
The usual suspects arrived
Photo by Paul Kornblueh
Photo by Paul Kornblueh
Photo by Paul Kornblueh
Photo by Paul Kornblueh
Photo by Jennifer Steele
Photo by Anthony Sansone
Photo by Neal Ulevich
Photography Exhibition
The Opening Reception and Photo Exhibit was an overture to the three days, thanks to alum Ave Butensky who arranged for the members of the UW Band to pep up the crowd. By the time we all stood to sing “Varsity,” everyone was ready to party.
Christopher Guest curated the photography exhibit. He had been Wisconsin Photographer of the Year while on the Cardinal. There was a slide show of historic photos from the paper and a select few were on display. They were auctioned off Saturday night to raise money for DCAA scholarships. Over $1500 was raised.
The slideshow has now been uploaded cardinal photos
Christopher Guess; One of the photos at auction
Winning bidders were:
Alex Kusters (Bascom Hill crosses)
Dave Lee (students at the door of the Cardinal) + Joan Lebow (Nazi Party speaker addressing crowd) + Ave Butensky (Bucky Wagon) + Sarah Wieckert (students on Bascom Hill on a sunny day) + Jason Heiser (Blinko for President) + Vincent Filak (formation of planes over Capitol) +Jack Bell (1955 Bucky Badger) + Mary Jo Ross (Bascom Hill flamingos) + Caitlin Cieslik-Miskimen (Badger Block at football game
The Panels
Richard Schickel opened the formal presentations on Friday. A Cardinal alum, he is perhaps best known as the film critic at Time until 2009. He now reviews for the blog Truthdig.com.
Richard Schickel. Photo by Paul Kornblueh
Ave Butensky led the all-Cardinal alum Emmy and Peabody panel with Steve Reiner, Mark Saxenmeyer, Peter Greenberg and Chuck Salituro.
The Pultitzer Prize panel featured Cardinal alums Walt Bogdanich, Abigail Goldman, Dan Uemhofer, Neal Ulevich, Eric Newhouse and Naomi Patton as moderator.
Both events were open to the public and Journalism School faculty and students were encouraged to attend.
The speakers described their careers at the Cardinal and cited their experience on the paper, and the lessons learned there, as reasons for their later success. The audience peppered them with questions.
The best, without a doubt, came from Gene Wells who noted that none of the Pulitzer winners had been Editors-in-Chief. He pondered the significance of that fact—to the amusement of many, including attending editors-in-chief. Gene is in a good position to comment on all matters Cardinal; he has worked on the paper since 1964 and was Anthony Shadid’s copy editor in 1974. He continues to come to the office sporadically and is remembered fondly as a colleague by several generations of staff.
Gene Wells
The Open House
The Daily Cardinal staff pulled out all the stops (and munchies) for alums at their Open House. For four hours, everyone was a student again.
“Where’s my desk,” asked Jonathan Rubin, “I used to sit right here. They moved it.” Former photographers marveled that the long-unused darkroom still had an enlarger and a Senrac Rapid Roll Film Dryer in storage. The SRRFD was invented and manufactured by David Spradling, a Cardinal photographer and donated to the Cardinal in 1966.
1942 editor Robert Lewis seemed pleased with all the attention from the young staff. Bob had met the Cardinal founder William Wesley Young at the Cardinal’s 50th anniversary in 1942. Ave Butensky encouraged all to shake Bob’s hand and establish “two degrees of separation” from the founder.
Robert Lewis. Photo by Jean Sue Johnson Libkind
The old rim, or copydesk, was covered with back issues and bound volumes. It was a popular meeting place as generations mingled. The older ones described the days of linotypes and letterpresses to those who remembered tape and cold type. “Look at those hair styles,” was a frequent observation.
The couch in the darkroom brought back memories for many (no further comment is necessary). It appears to be aging quite well.
The Gala
The finale and highlight was the Gala at the Orpheum Theater Saturday night. The old stage and movie house looked downright elegant in its candlelight and refurbished interior. A spectacular cake copied the front page of the Cardinal’s special 120th anniversary issue and 400 cupcakes enticed many alums into indulgence.
Honors and tributes flowed from the stage.
Jennie Sereno, president of the Daily Cardinal Media Corporation, the paper’s governing board, welcomed everyone to the event.
Kayla Johnson, outgoing Cardinal editor-in-chief, gave a stirring encapsulation of the paper’s history, its legends and camaraderie, its traditions and sense of self. One mystery was solved: Kayla noted the legend evolving behind the hole in the wall of the darkroom. Alum Mary B. Good (said her name tag) raised her hand and admitted to being the culprit. She later said she was “just so angry” over the treatment of women by society in general.
Outgoing editors Nico Savidge and Kayla Johnson
Michael Looby usurped the stage to give Allison Hantschel Sansone the gratitude of everyone who attended the highly successful three-day event she had arranged. A founding member of the DCAA board, Allison is taking a well-earned respite. An engraved crystal vase was presented to her on behalf of her colleagues on the board. Allison later posted a wonderful tribute to the Cardinal.
Anthony Sansone, founder and president of DCAA, was also honored for his vision, determination and hard work in building the organization which has donated $200,000 to the student staff over the past few years in education, travel and equipment expenses. A mentoring program and craft-specific workshops augment the experience of those working on the Cardinal.
Sharon Forsmo announced an ongoing scholarship in the name of her late husband, Jim Forsmo. It will benefit graphic artists and photographers on the staff. The first winner, Dylan Moriarty, accepted his award.
Dylan, shown here with Sharon Forsmo, is the creator of the little Cardinal, highlighting this article.
Christina Pretto introduced a moving video in memory of Cardinalista Anthony Shadid who died on assignment in Syria earlier this year. She represented the Shadid Brigade, Anthony’s colleagues on the paper who formed their group when the New York Times reporter was held captive in Libya a few years ago. A memorial fund has been set up. [Shadid Memorial]
For a video on Anthony Shadid please click Shadid video
Anthony Shadid, by Peter Barraras
EMC Corporation honored its employee Anthony Sansone for his years of service to the DCAA. He had asked that the check be made out to DCAA; further details on its use will be publicized later, but it will involve rewards for excellence by the paper’s staff.
An unexpected delight was the door prize, arranged by the current Cardinal staff, of an new iPod, courtesy of an advertiser, the UW DoIT Tech Store. It was won by Les Chappell.
Dancing concluded the evening, followed by beer and burgers at the Plaza.
The young Cardinalista-to-be, Colton Lasker, joined his great-grandfather Bob Lewis (Cardinal editor 1942) and his father Adam Lasker (Cardinal editor 1998-99) at the event.
Bob (1942) and Martha Lewis with Colton Lasker (2031?)
Extra-Curricular Activities
The Wisconsin Watchdog Awards dinner, hosted by Andy Hall of the Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism, featured Cardinal alum Walt Bogdanich as its speaker. Walt gave an amusing and insightful account of his career in newspapers and television.
Walt Bogdanich
Cardinal staffers from the 1960s gathered at State Street Brats (known to them as “the Brat Haus”) to remember colleagues, the days of transition from letterpress to offset, from hot lead to cold type and the early days of “the revolution.” This is the generation that wasn’t on campus when the organic material hit the ventilating device but who were responsible for plugging in the fan.
The UW School of Journalism and Mass Communications dinner was attended by many Cardinal alums and honored two alums of the student newspaper, among others. “Our guys” were Jack Harned and Steve Paulson. Harned is a former daily newspaper reporter, Senator Proxmire’s first press secretary, a public relations manager at General Motors and cofounder of AutoCom Associates in Detroit. Paulson is interviewer and executive producer of To The Best Of Our Knowledge (TTBOOK) on NPR.
Two '60s Cardinalistas used their presence in Madison to rekindle another tradition -- attending a political demonstration on the grounds of the state Capitol. Braving the rain and cold, they joined a few hundred women (and men), young and old, in protesting the "war on women" being waged by Republican Gov. Scott Walker—repealing the state's equal-pay law, attacking the nurses and teachers unions (but not police or firefighters), cutting back on access to Medicaid for low-income women and children, and more. Just like old times, agreed Gail Bensinger and Nancy Olesen.