Where Are They Now

Editor’s note: Beginning with this issue, Illinois State will include a column that helps alumni reconnect with retired faculty and staff. Each column will include contact information, as the individuals featured are eager to hear from graduates. Is there a former mentor you would like to find? Send the name to Susan Blystone at sjblyst@ilstu.edu, call (309) 438-2667, or mail to 1101 N. Main Street, Normal, IL 61790.

Harry Thiel recalls 20 years leading the Vidette

From the first day on the ISU campus, I was amazed at the support I received to guide and advise the student newspaper. It started with a visit to the president, Gene Budig, and the two members of the newly established publications board: Francis Belshe, vice president of business; and Wenmouth Williams, communications professor. This support continued through the presidencies of Lloyd Watkins, Thomas Wallace, and David Strand. And for years, it was spearheaded by communications professor Michael Shelly, a Vidette editor of the early 1960s.

In 1976 the Vidette had a strong core of good students who bought into the idea of doing things right. The newspaper had begun publishing five days a week that fall, and in 1977 it added Daily to its nameplate.

Gradually it expanded its circulation beyond the downtown Normal business community into restaurants, convenience stores, malls, and other stores along Main Street, College Avenue, and Veterans Parkway. As the community grew, so did the advertising base. With each passing year the ISU and Bloomington-Normal communities seemed to accept the Daily Vidette as a positive enterprise.

In 1979-1980 the newspaper acquired its first in-house typesetting terminals and typesetter. It all was packed into Edwards Annex next to the Heating Plant. A converted World War II classroom for servicemen, the place was cold in winter and hot in summer. Read the rest of this entry »

November 11th, 2009 | Posted in Where are they now | 1 Comment »