a man to remember

One of my most respected mentors passed away Sunday night. Professor Chris Warden. He is the reason I have a journalism degree today. He always inspired me to write and encouraged me to write better. I have never felt more challenged as a writer than I did when I was in his classes. I vividly remember working on my Advanced Reporting project on the new Food Guide Pyramid and he would challenge me to think of things that never would have crossed my mind. With Prof there was always more to the story.
That year we were also assigned beats to report on every two weeks. My beat was the Troy Regional Medical Center. My contact there was not easy to work with and would often tell me there was nothing to report on. Prof Warden did not take that as an answer from me. There was always a story and he pushed me and encouraged me to get out there and find it even when I felt like I was hitting a brick wall. And I did. I learned so much through that experience, and even if I never set another foot inside a newsroom again I know that I walked away a more well-rounded person because of what I learned through that experience.
Thank you Professor Warden for all that you taught me. I hope to inspire as many college students as you did one day.