Alumni support helps Star thrive By Jerry Thompson
There's seldom any one thing that, by itself, makes for an outstanding sports team, business, newspaper or whatever. It usually takes a mixture of things for some enterprise to rise to the top of its kind.
Michael Jordan needed the help of good teammates and a good coach to make the Chicago Bulls a great team. There's more to Microsoft than just Bill Gates. No single editor or reporter makes the New York Times a great paper.
But, one thing's for sure: The Northern Star wouldn't be what it is if it weren't for its concerned, interested, loyal and involved alumni. Sure, the paper has a core of good students to run it, a solid financial base to sustain it and caring, knowledgeable advisers to nurture it. But, it wouldn't have that extra bit of zip, zing or pizazz that puts it among the more well-regarded student dailies in the country if it weren't for its alumni support.
Alumni on more than one occasion have been key in staving off attempts by the university's administration to muzzle the institution's only real watchdog. Alumni rallied support and led the fight to keep the Star from falling under the control of a university president stung by stories and editorials critical of his errant doings. Alumni provided crucial help in fighting off special-interest groups seeking to cow the paper into ignoring their faults and espousing their causes. To bend to these powerful forces would have made the paper a pussycat for sure.
There's more. Successful alumni provide inspiration for students to work harder at the paper. They serve as mentors to students who want to forge careers in all of the various aspects of newspapering. Alumni give generously of their time to run workshops in their area of expertise for student staffers.On top of all that, alumni raise money for scholarships for students who work at the newspaper ... scholarships that allow students to spend more time and effort with the paper. Some might not be able to work at the Star at all if not for alumni scholarships.
All of these things make the paper better than it otherwise would be. What makes alumni do all of these things? Could it be that they want to help make the Star a better newspaper than it was when they were there? Could it be because they believe spunky newspapers are essential to our democratic system of government? Could it be all of the above?
Whatever the reasons, the Star wouldn't be what it is without its alums.EDITOR'S NOTE: Jerry Thompson isn't taking retirement sitting down. In season, he works at Lakeside Bait and Tackle in Shabonna, selling fishing supplies and swapping stories. He's also serving as a substitute teacher in several DeKalb-area school districts. When the weather's warm, he continues to pedal his bike across the countryside. Come winter, he'll turn his attention to cross-country and downhill skiing. And, he's still a frequent visitor to the Northern Star for lively conversations about the newspaper business and politics. Of course, all of that takes a back seat to Jerry's real passion: "Spoiling the bejeebers out of my relatively new grandson."