Brighter Future Possible for Cal Poly Journalism Department

During September 2010 I posted a commentary online that was reposted elsewhere. What I wrote was a strong expression of the anger that I felt about troubles within the Cal Poly San Luis Obispo Journalism Department. I could not understand how a once vibrant Cal Poly Journalism Department that shaped my professional career in the 1970s could look like a train wreck in the 2000s. I am not the only alum who came to believe … Read more

A Great Writer, Ted Sorensen

Today, October 31, 2010, saw the passing of a great writer from the United States, Ted Sorensen. Throughout the 82 years that this man from Nebraska lived and worked, he contributed in significant and often historic ways to the craft of writing in the 20th century in the United States. My professional life drew inspiration from the writer that Ted Sorensen was. Although I never met him, I find that I am saddened today that … Read more

Do You Remember When Rock Was Young?

Way back in 1972, the Elton John and Bernie Taupin song Crockodile Rock asked, “Do you remember when rock was young?” When that wonderful song first hit the Billboard magazine charts, technically, rock and roll was still young. If you were in or near the rock and roll radio business in those days, you would not think of living your life without reading Billboard and the famous columnist Claude Hall. Fast forward to today. Claude … Read more