Archives: Class Notes
Jackie Borchardt MA ’09
Jackie was promoted to senior news director for the Cincinnati Enquirer and relocated to the Queen City with her husband, Joshua Bickel (MA ’09) and their two daughters in June 2022. She previously covered Ohio politics for 10 years in Columbus, Ohio, as a reporter and editor for newspapers in Dayton, Cleveland and Cincinnati.
Fred Bleakley MA ’66
After retiring from a career in journalism, I recently wrote about an Auschwitz escapee I had interviewed in 1995 for an article in the Wall Street Journal. The book, “Auschwitz Protocols: Ceslav Mordowicz and the Race to Save Hungary’s Jews,” was published this past April by Post Hill Press and is being distributed by Simon … Continued
Yvette Walker MA ’10
I’m alum Yvette Walker, and I’ve been working on a new podcast that has finally launched: Journalists Advancing Ministry. It’s about former journalists (like me) who have entered an either online or in-person ministry. Why did I do this? So many people have a love-hate relationship with media, and I’ve noticed a fair number of … Continued
Dennis Briskin, MA ’71
Dennis Briskin (M.A. cum laude 1971) has published two books of black and white photojournalism from his late 1960’s Peace Corps service: “Iran Before . . . ” (2019) and “The Face of Iran Before . . . ” (2020.) In more than 100 images from 35mm negatives, the books show traditional Iranian culture and … Continued
James Etling, MA ’69
What do you do? I’m now retired. But before I retired I worked in public relations and newspaper printing. After graduation I worked in public relations for five years for Laclede Gas Co (Spire) in St Louis. I was the staff assistant and editor of the monthly employee magazine, Laclede News. I enjoyed my years … Continued
James Stone, BJ ’74
What do you do? After a forty year career as a sportscaster, I’m now retired living in Highlands Ranch, Colorado with my wife of 46 years, Jill, who also graduated from Mizzou. My focus is now on my two grandchildren, and our kids. My goal is giving back, and making society a better place for … Continued
Katherine Dykstra, BJ ’99
A narrative nonfiction book by Katherine Dykstra, BJ ’99, will be published by W.W. Norton on June 15, 2021. “What Happened to Paula” is a feminist true crime that begins as an investigation into an unsolved homicide and evolves into a reckoning about all the ways women are at risk in the world, simply by … Continued
Eric Seidel, BJ ’69
What do you do? Media consulting/training. How did you get your job? Entrepreneur What is the best professional lesson you learned at the J-School? Accuracy, objectivity, complete. What advice do you have for current students? Report facts, not opinion. Practice objectivity and fairness. What is your favorite J-School memory? Working at KOMU-TV and KFRU Radio. … Continued
Peter St. Onge, MA ’91
Peter St. Onge, editorial page editor at the Charlotte Observer, was named McClatchy Opinion Editor, leading Opinion teams across McClatchy’s 30 markets, including Kansas City, Miami and Sacramento.
Gordon Young, MA ’90
The revised and updated paperback edition of “Teardown: Memoir of a Vanishing City” by Gordon Young, MA ’90, was released by the University of California Press in February. It details Young’s attempt to reconnect with his hometown of Flint, Michigan, after living in San Francisco for more than two decades. Filled with nostalgia and compelled … Continued