Today we mark the departures of more than a dozen colleagues, both in and out of the Guild, across all Chicago-area Tribune Publishing newsrooms, who have chosen to take the most recent round of buyouts. We wish them the best in this new era for their careers and their lives.
Rather than our usual thread highlighting our members' work throughout the week, today we want to honor some of our soon-to-be-former colleagues, who have supported us, shaped us and laughed with us for years.
Frank Abderholden, a lifelong Lake County resident, started with the Libertyville's Independent-Register in 1988. He moved to the News-Sun in the 1980s. Frank is beloved in the community, and enjoys the outdoors so much he writes a column about it in addition to his other duties.
Tim Bannon, as they say in the sports world, is a pro's pro. In 25 years at the Trib, he was a steadying and genial force on the sports desk — a locker room “glue guy,” to borrow another cliche. He brought old world print editors' chops with a flair for the new online journalism.
Karen Berkowitz worked for Pioneer Press for 42 years. She’s covered Deerfield, Northbrook, Highland Park and Evanston. Most of her Pioneer reporter days were spent covering Evanston schools from 1985-2012. One of the most gratifying parts of the job is the work itself, she said.
@CarmelCarrillo started her career as a Metpro fellow and rose to become an essential editor for movies and TV. She balanced strong editing skills while using her endless knowledge of TV, movies and culture. Her colleagues will miss her compassion, kindness and infectious laugh.
@csdampier knows how to find feature stories that stay with you -- the oddball angles, the cultural nuances, the right kind of texture. And as the Guild's mobilizing head, she was the engine that powered our gutsiest actions.
Someone mentioned that we'll have to download @jdziura's brain before he leaves DPS. That about sums it up. He's a production wizard (not to mention his mad DJ skillz).
@FitzWatson took on the herculean task of building DPS from the ground up, and how she did it with such grace and patience, we'll never know. She leaves just in time for Cubs spring training. Coincidence?
A tenacious, ever-hungry reporter, Kim Geiger leaves us after stints covering Washington and the Illinois statehouse. She will also be missed as an assertive and thoughtful member of the Guild's bargaining team in our fight for a first contract.
What better representative could the Tribune have in the Blackhawks press box than @jcgreenx? Readers, colleagues and competitors alike will miss his presence on the sports pages.
@AndreaHanis was the inaugural editor of Blue Sky Innovation, leading Tribune coverage of local startups and entrepreneurship. She recently turned her talents toward editorial writing, and has also contributed opinion columns under her own name and unmistakeable voice.
A nationally known voice on rock, hip-hop and pop music, @gregkot leaves us as music critic after four decades at the paper. He has authored books on Mavis Staples and Wilco.
Jim Newton joined the suburban staff in 1984 at Libertyville's Independent-Register. In 1985, he moved to the News-Sun. He covered the Lake County Board in the 2000s before taking a hiatus to fill a vacancy on the board in 2011. Recently, he’s covered Lake County felony courts.
There may be no greater authority on Chicago's courthouses than @moconnor51. He was a diligent, thoughtful reporter and editor -- and one of the newsroom's strongest voices for transparency in the often-secretive justice system.
@rhodes_dawn leaves us after 10 years of covering all kinds of topics, most recently higher ed. She was instrumental to our organizing effort and a fierce voice for her colleagues and diversity and modernization in our newsroom.
Another loss for the sports desk (and the rest of us): @TheMikeSansone, a veteran editor who is now, in his own words, an "unrestricted free agent."
Donna Vickroy, a lifelong south sider, has been at the Daily Southtown for 38 years as a reporter, columnist, and entertainment editor. She had a way of tapping into the things people really want to talk about -- be it local food or a serious news story. chicagotribune.com/suburbs/daily-…
We'd also like to specially mention a former Hoy colleague, entertainment editor Gisela Orozco, who joined the Tribune Content Agency after Hoy was shut down. We will miss her.
Decades upon decades' worth of institutional knowledge is walking out the door. Beats will go un-covered, stories will go un-written. We wish our colleagues the best; it is a difficult and personal decision to make. But it stings to see our company so eager to usher them away.
We are losing these colleagues because the company — which by its own admission is thriving — would rather save a few dollars than retain their talent. We know @tribpub can do better.
As ever, we call on @tribpub to invest in our newsrooms. And as ever, we pledge to fight against anyone — hedge fund or otherwise — who stands to profit from shrinking our numbers.
