Thanks, Kathy!: Kathy Brock anchors her final newscast on ABC7

A few years ago, Kathy Brock retired from her primetime job anchoring the news at WLS TV in Chicago.  She was at the station for about 28 years.

 What's amazing is that at WSU, we were in the same TV news class, and I believe we did a newscast together, of course, it was only on cable, but I actually rubbed elbows with greatness. I also had a couple other Communications classes with her. 

Out of curiosity, I scoured You Tube last night, looking for videos and found some tributes to her as she did her last newscast.  Above is one of several.  

Kathy is a native of Pasco, Washington.  

Goodbye Jim Angell

I was very shocked and saddened to read about the passing of Walla Walla High School classmate Jim Angell.    Jimmy was a newspaper guy, he wrote a rock music column in the Wa-Hi Journal and eventually became the editor of the paper.  

We both went to WSU and as I remember, were in Communications 101 together.  Jim would continue his reporter career with the Daily Evergreen, the WSU daily paper.  He would also become the editor of that paper.  

I did not have a car during my first year at school, so I would ride back and forth in his car, having discussions about topics of the day.  I did not remember if I helped him with gas expenses or thanked him properly.  

Angell would wind up working in journalism in Wyoming.  The video above was one I found as I scoured You Tube.  

Jim Angell was talented, articulate, friendly, generous, and humble.  I last saw him at our Class's 40th reunion in July of 2016, where we joined other friends in the golf scramble. 

Jim is seated the second to the left.  We were the only fivesome and the last to finish.  We celebrated in the clubhouse.

Later in the evening, he would join friends Bill and John jamming on guitar at the reunion dinner.

Jimmy was wonderful and will truly be missed.  

Heart - Magic Man (Live on Second Ending)

Probably not even dreaming of the incredible run it would go on, Heart appeared on the KWSU show Second Ending for a full concert in front of a studio audience on the WSU campus in Pullman.  

I wonder what the show did for an encore. 

Cougars Featured On HBO

WSU is one of four schools featured on the HBO series 24/7.  The show, I guess, is based on Hard Knocks, which is an in depth look at NFL teams.
The WSU episode features  Coach Mike Leach who is shown walking from his house to his office on the campus.   It shows the day by day practices, the coaches philosophy and sits in on the players goofing around.  Specifically, starting quarterback Anthony Gordon.  
Miked up (no pun intended)  football practices are not new to TV,  but this show does a sequential day by day look at each practice, making it indeed unique.
Leach is a natural for this type of program because of his successful but quirky nature.
Also featured is Glenn Johnson, who is the football stadium announcer as well as Pullman's mayor.  He is no doubt, the most visible Pullman resident.  He could be called the "face of the city", however, "voice of the city" would be more accurate.  Johnson says that he has been mayor since 2004 and has not had opposition, quite remarkable when you consider the myriad of different ideas and viewpoints which come together on a college campus.   It is safe to say that Johnson, my old communications professor, known to Glenn by his students can be called a WSU legend.
More info on the program can be found here.

Former Athletic Director At WSU Jankovich Dies

Sam Jankovich, who was AD at WSU when I attended  school there has died.  Jankovich  was a somewhat polarizing figure at the school as equal funding for women's athletics began taking the center stage.  Jankovich also arranged for an expansion of the WSU stadium in 1979, allowing all home games to be played on campus.   Major college games before the expansion were played in nearby Spokane, except for team visiting schools like California, Stanford, and Idaho. 

In 1983, Jankovich became AD at the University Of  Miami and helped build a football powerhouse. 

 He would move over to the New England Patriots in 1990, at the time, one of the worst franchises in professional sports.  He would leave that position after a couple of years.  

Jankovich was 85.

Trip To Spokane--WSU Game

I had a great weekend, WSU Cougars game not withstanding.  We have been invited for years to the WSU Shriner's game where my friend Louie is active in supporting the Shriner's Children's Hospital in Spokane.  
On Friday, I flew with my friends to Spokane  where we got our rooms at the Northern Quest Casino.  We joined friends for dinner that night at Fire Artisan Pizza in downtown Spokane.
On Saturday, we took the one and twenty minute bus ride to Pullman for the game.  We had a stop before we left Spokane at the Shriner's Hospital for a brief presentation.
Upon arriving in Pullman in late afternoon, our group of about 50 began selling T-shirts (above) in the WSU to benefit the Shriner's Hospital.  It has been a 30 year tradition that he has raised money for the hospital.
Last year's Cougar Quarterback, Gardner Minschew (bottom picture), hot off a great game Thursday filling in for Nick Foles of the Jacksonville Jaguars had flown in for the game.  The crowd gave a rousing cheer for the lovable Minschew.
The game was great until our Cougars blew a 49-17 lead over the UCLA Bruins to be defeated 67-63 it was a collapse of epic proportions.
The mood on the bus was rather subdued as we bussed back to Spokane after a game that ended at 11:30 in the evening.
Today, we all flew back to Seattle.

WSU Classmate Does Football Podcast

During my college days, I worked at KUGR with James Laurie, who used his initials, JRL, on the air.  I recently found out that he had a podcast analyzing Cougar Football.

It Has Arrived

ESPN's Gameday on the WSU campus in Pullman for the first time ever.  The WSU flag, Ol' Crimson has traveled and appeared on Gameday telecasts across America for 15 years.

Spurrier Attends Cougar Game

I had to do a double take when I saw legendary coach and Heisman Trophy winner Steve Spurrier in the broadcast booth at the Utah vs WSU game yesterday. 
His son Steve Jr, is the outside receivers coach for the Cougs.  Spurrier said it was his first trip to Pullman.

Hometown History III--Joe Karp Takes Over Wa-Hi Baseball

Another part of the 1975 coaching shakeup was Joe Karp.  When Bill Bieloh was removed as head basketball coach, he resigned as head baseball coach.  Karp was hired from Colville High to replace Bieloh as head baseball coach and be assistant basketball coach to the just hired, Jim Thacker.
Karp had been a head coach of both basketball and baseball at Colville.  He was also a star baseball player at WSU.
In addition to his coaching duties, Karp was also the speech teacher.  I was in his 2nd period speech class.  He was unique in that he had longer hair than most of the other male teachers and never wore a tie.  Instead, he wore pullover shirts.  Kind of a laid back look that was popular in that era.
I remember that every speech in his class got 2 grades, one from him and one from the combined total of classmate's evaluation.  I remember him as a very tight grader.  One student did a demonstration speech of rolling a cigarette using oregano, that his considered funny then, it may not fly today.
Being that I was a senior that year, I don't know how  successful Karp was with the Wa-Hi teams or how long he stayed at the school

WLS Anchor, Cougar Classmate Kathy Brock To Retire

After 27 years including the last 24 as 6pm Anchor at WLS in Chicago, Pasco native Kathy Brock is leaving the rigors of the newsroom.  The 58 year old Brock announced that she will retire from Chicago's ABC affiliate after her June 27th newscast.  Brock also anchored the station's 10pm cast.
Brock and I worked together from 1980-1981 in the Cable 8 closed circuit newscast at WSU, part of the school's TV news class led by Glenn Johnson.
After graduation, she started with  Tri-Cities TV (KEPR)  like her sister, Kerry.  Kerry Brock would go on to anchor at KOMO 4 in Seattle, by coincidence, also an ABC affiliate.
Before her Chicago job, Brock also worked at KUTV in Salt Lake City, before that, she had worked in Boise.
Brock is a graduate of Pasco High School and had family in Walla Walla.
I know Kathy as a very hard worker with amazing focus.  We congratulate her on a wonderful career and wish her the best in retirement.
Thank you to pugetsound.media for the heads up on this.

WSU Rocked By Quarterback Hilinski Suicide

Tyler Hilinski,  WSU quarterback in waiting, was found dead today of a  self-inflicted gun shot wound.  Hilinski, who showed flashes of brilliance filling in for starting quarterback Luke Falk, was found in his apartment.  Police were called after he failed to show up for practice.
Fans on social media are expressing their shock and sadness.

Cougars Will Play In Holiday Bowl

The WSU Cougars will face the Michigan State Spartans in this year's Holiday Bowl.  The game will be played December 28th at 6:00pm in San Diego.  This is the Coug's 4th post season bowl bid in 5 years.

Leach Considered For Tennessee Vacancy

It looked like a nearly done deal.  WSU Coach Mike Leach would leave Pullman to become the coach at Tennessee.  That may have fallen through as Tennessee's athletic director Bill Currie has reportedly been fired. We Cougs can breath a sigh of relief, at least for now, however, after Bill Moos left as Cougar AD to take the Nebraska job, Leach appears to be getting restless.  Meanwhile, at my wife's alma matter, Tennessee, things are really up in the air as the school needs to hire both a new AD and a coach, early reports have said that Phil Fulmer,  the former football coach, who won a championship at the school, will take the job.   Tennessee had hired a coach until a social media outcry forced them to abandon the choice. 

WSU Student Overplays Her Hand With Charity Pledge

There is goodness in the world, perhaps too much goodness for WSU student Danni Messina.  Messina was so moved by hearing of the works of St Jude's Children's Research Hospital that she pledged to donate a quarter for every favorite (like) and 50 cents for every retweet of her tweet touting the hospital.  The Cougar do-gooder had planned a budget of $1000 dollars.  She soon wound up owing $200 thousand.
 Anxious to make good with her pledge, Messina set up a gofundme page,  with donations from people touched by Danni giving spirit, at this writing, $57,000 has been raised.  Either way, my fellow Cougar has brought much wanted attention to St. Jude, which should benefit the medical center in many ways.
Thank you to KIRO 97.3's Ron And Don for the tip on this story.

Goertzen Hall On WSU Campus

One of  Seattle's most beloved media figures, Kathi Goertzen is remembered at the Murrow College of Communications.  Kathi Goertzen Hall stands on the Pullman campus to honor the KOMO TV anchor who won the hearts of viewers with her brave fight against a brain tumor.  My sister-in-law snapped these pictures while taking my nephew to a WSU school visitation.
Goertzen was a 1980 graduate of WSU.

Bud Namack Out As Voice Of Cougs

Bud Namack will no longer be the voice of Washington State Cougar Athletics,  according to several news sources.  Namack has been voice of the Cougar football for the last few seasons and the voice of Cougar Basketball since 1993.  IMG College has announced that Matt Chazanow, a manager for the college network will take over the play by play duties.  No reason has been stated for the change.

WSU President Elson Floyd

Cougars worldwide are mourning the passing of University president Elson Floyd.  Floyd has recently taken a leave of absence from the school, after learning that he had cancer. he recently led efforts for WSU to establish a medical school. The school's first African-American president, Floyd was 59.

WSU Radio Memories--KUGR

I worked for KUGR, the student radio station in all 4 years that I was at WSU.  The call letter were made to form the word "Cougar".  These pictures were posted by my friend Tom Eades, who gave me permission to use them.

WSU Grad Covers Hollywood

The E! Network keeps America up to date on what happening in the entertainment industry and one of it's rising stars is a Southeastern Washington native and a graduate of the Murrow School Of Communications at WSU.  Courtney Harvey has been with the E! Network for about 3 years according to dad, Geoff Harvey, also a broadcasting graduate of WSU and a former manager of radio stations in Walla Walla  and the Tri Cities.
Currently Courtney's work is mostly behind the scenes as segment producer, but there is little doubt that she will soon be an on-air fixture.  She has also worked at KVEW in Kennewick, Washington.
Courtney has a fan page on facebook that you can join by clicking here.
Courtney's dad was a mentor to me in my college days, I was trying to break in radio and approached him at K-HIT where I was seeking a summer job.  Geoff always seemed to find time to talk radio with me and keep me up to date on the goings on in the field.