...and their memories

David Hall
Ever hear about a great party, then realize all your friends were there ... AND YOU WEREN'T INVITED! I just stumbled onto this website and - sniff! - no one mentioned me! I roomed with Fellenzer, hung with Clow and Gigi and Amy and Etch, I committed mayhem with Staake ... Oh yeah, I also was fortunate enough to learn from the best: Jay Berman, Joe Jares, A.J. Langguth and the late, great Bill Farr. Add your own memory

Michele Himmelberg
I was sports editor in the fall of 1979, when the football team shared the national championship with Alabama. Professor Copperud informed me that I was the first female sports editor at the Daily Trojan. Add your own memory

Michael "Mike" Schroeder
In 1979, we installed the first in-house typesetting system for the DT. In a word, it was a disaster. Anyone who can remember Logicon (I think we got their last system) can remember the long nights and not-unusual "everything's gone" about 5 p.m. Remember typesetting the whole paper at Pepperdine one of those nights. Half the staff quit during the semester -- can't blame them for trying to get to class sometime! -- but those of us who hung in got out a record number of papers without missing a day of publication. We also blew the lid off the USC football grade scandal -- not a real popular story -- thanks to Richard Bonin's digging (he's been at "60 Minutes" for quite a few years now.) This led to my one and only lead major newspaper story in the Herald a bit later. Went through the hoops of redesigning and getting approval for a new logo, which lasted a few years (I think). Covered the selection of a new president, whoever replaced Hubbard. Moments? Gary Maloney (who I think went to work for a congressman/senator) was the king of Tommy's, wolfing down two double cheeses (extra chili, please!), followed by calisthentics in the parking lot prior to a third. Getting called in for a meeting with the Executive Vice President after publication of the first athletic academic expose. Forming a tight friendship with longtime adviser Roy Copperud (including filling his radiator in the truck lot of the Herald). Interviewed Norman Topping, getting some great advice on the side. Add your own memory

Mark Thompson
I was not a Journalism major; in fact, I was one of the few on the DT at that time. The experience was great and I've stayed in touch with several friends from those days. It was great to see how everyone took the ethical issues to heart, especially when we had the strike and went to battle with the administration. It was as if [the administration] could not accept the intelligence and professionalism of the staff. As an 'outsider' of sorts, It took a while for me to appreciate what was happening, but it became clear that the staff was grappling with a moral issue that would serve to make them better journalists down the road. I am proud to have been a part of that time! My overall impression of working at the DT was one of immense comradeship, fun and integrity. People were devoted to the field, more so than most of the students at USC at that time. It was a transitional era, I believe, when USC was struggling to change from a 'legacy' school chock-full of spoiled, second-rate kids and us '4.0' brainiacs and professionals who had to fight to change that old image. It seems to have succeeded, although it took a few decades! I know that the hard work put in by people like the DT staff helped to change USC for the better. One fun memory I have was the filming of a television movie, "Loose Change," in our cramped offices (they were on top of the Student Union at the time). The crew was there for way too long, which caused some deadline problems, but I managed to post some stuff on one of the bulletin boards the crew installed (to make it look more like a college newspaper office!). Seeing the photos and clippings on the air was fun. A few more memories revolve around working on the news desk, where we were editing the paper before sending it off to the print shop. Classes were held in our offices, since space was so tight, so any noise we made was heard (all too clearly) by the students sitting next door. We got too carried away many times, singing ... and usually changing the words to something "inappropriate." I guess a few of the "110s" (as we called the freshman j-class students) were pretty shocked, but it was a dose of reality! I'll chug some more coffee and see if the memories start to flow. Add your own memory

Paul Michael "Zeke" Virga
My memories are fading fast after being away from USC for over 25 years but some of my fondest were getting to see my drawings in print! And hanging out with the DT staff after a football game. The place was always a bee hive of activity. My major at USC was Business Administration with a minor in Fine Art and the experiences of getting assignments to do drawings at the last minute have actually carried with me to this day. I was also a Marine Corps NROTC Midshipman during the '78 - '82 years and so my perspective, I am sure, was way different than others at the DT. The Shah of Iran died, Saddam Hussein invaded southern Iran, Lebanon was terror central, Hinkley shot Reagan and I was drawing pictures of psilosybin mushrooms for a story on them in the DT. There are a couple of individuals that I do remember: Laura Rodriguez, she was assistant city editor and in a ceramics class with me one summer. She was beautiful, intelligent, and the person that talked me into doing illustrations for the DT. Staake, to this day, one of the sharpest and best editorial cartoonist I have ever seen. Add your own memory

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