A half century of award-winning journalism, from best feature story of 1974 (Chicago Newspaper Guild) to more than half-a-dozen consecutive annual column and profile honors (Northern Illinois News Association).
‘This is the End’ – Going Out Laughing
Evanston RoundTable, June 20, 2103 Sometimes joy and happiness emanate from the most unexpected places. Who would think a mature adult would enjoy – love isn’t too strong a word!
With a Push From Dr. King, Bill Logan Became a Pioneer
Evanston RoundTable, June 6, 2013 Bill Logan’s life and career have been filled with achievements and honors. But at a low point, discouraged about his job and concerned about his
‘Frances Ha’ – Meh for the Me Generation
Evanston RoundTable, June 6, 2013 In the new movie “Frances Ha,” Greta Gerwig plays the title character, a twenty-something New Yorker who seems to be auditioning for adulthood and, for
‘Mud’ Review: More Character, Less Muck
Evanston RoundTable, May 23, 2013 As movie titles go, “Mud” is a little misleading, because it shines a spotlight on the wrong character. Mud is a drifter on the run
‘Renoir’: Father and Son Reunion
Evanston RoundTable, May 9, 2013 The subject of creativity has, for obvious reasons, long intrigued artists and writers. “Renoir,” the new French biopic of the great painter and his son
’42’: A Swing and a Miss
Evanston RoundTable, April 25, 2013 Baseball holds a special place in American life. While it might not be as popular as it once was, our national pastime still connects deeply
‘From Up On Poppy Hill’: Simple and Beautiful
Evanston RoundTable, April 11, 2013 Drawings may be the oldest art form we know – consider the cave paintings – yet in movies, like Rodney Dangerfield, they don’t always get much
Embarrassed by Founder, City of Evanston Now Claims It is Named for Famed TV Cowgirl
Evanston RoundTable, March 28, 2013
This was my contribution to our annual April Fools’ Day issue. (Leonard F. Slye was Roy Rogers’ real name.) The published story deleted most of the specifics in the fourth and fifth paragraphs to the controversy, which are true.
By Leo F. Slye
With mounting pressure to repudiate John Evans for his role in a notorious Indian massacre years after helping put Evanston on the map, the City Council last week issued a media advisory saying the real namesake of the City was none other than Dale Evans, famed TV cowgirl and wife of the even more famous TV cowboy Roy Rogers.
Ms. Evans, who passed away in 2001, could not be reached for comment, but the advisory pointed out that the actress was also an accomplished, singer, songwriter and best-selling author. From 1951 to 1957 she co-starred with her husband in the TV hit “The Roy Rogers Show.” “As to this other Evans, the one who arrived here in 1855, where is the proof [he also founded the City]?” the advisory asked.
The surprising action was taken shortly after the City Council went into a closed-door emergency session to deliberate, after which white smoke could be seen emanating from the building’s chimney. Neither the Mayor nor any Aldermen could be reached to elaborate on their somewhat-cryptic announcement.
On Reading Proust For Book Club
“On Reading Proust” is a hybrid: except for the incidents at the Y, it is all true. Call it creative non-fiction. Or Proustian.
Our public library sponsors an annual citywide book club called Mission Impossible, so named because only the most impossible-to-read classics are selected. What’s an impossible-to-read classic? One that by reputation is too big, too abstract or too abstruse to comprehend or enjoy. Think Stephen Hawking’s A Brief History of Time. Or as Mark Twain said, a classic is “a book which people praise and don’t read.” But often these books are wonderfully readable, with the right help, and that is what the library provides in the form of an excellent introductory lecture and subsequent breakout discussion groups led by trained facilitators.
The first year the library made the obvious and preemptive choice: Joyce’s Ulysses. Of the 150 or so people who signed up, about a third actually made it to the end, nine months later. That is a phenomenal batting average as far as I’m concerned, having made it only to page 5. . . .