It had been fifty years since a young wide-eyed, part-time Chicago Tribune copy boy left the hallowed halls between Madison Boulevard and East Avenue. On November 4, that same alumnus returned to Fenwick, now as a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist.
A native of Oak Park, Steve Twomey grew up close to Fenwick, and he graduated as a Friar in the spring of 1969. When asked about his high school memories, Twomey said, “I don’t remember too much of the important stuff.” He went on to tell his audience about the time that he and a few of his classmates pelted freshmen with a barrage of Twinkees.
After leaving Fenwick, Twomey enrolled at the prestigious Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University. He graduated in the spring of 1973.
After leaving Medill, Twomey found himself in Philadelphia. There, he would begin what would end up being a fourteen year stint with The Philadelphia Inquirer. It was here that he would earn a Pulitzer Prize for his article on aircraft carriers in 1987. Twomey said, “If you ever get the chance to get on an aircraft carrier, take it.”
Following his fourteen years in Philadelphia, Twomey took on a new role as an editor and opinion columnist with the Washington Post. In 2005, he left Washington to work as a faculty member teaching journalism at New York University. In November 2016, Twomey released a new book titled “Countdown to Pearl Harbor,” which outlined the events and miscues that led to one of the most deadly attacks in American history.
While his harrowing tales of adventures ranging from stays on United States naval vessels across the globe, to adventures following Pennsylvania state legislators across the rolling hills of California’s wine country (like a scene straight out of a Bond movie), are incredible, Twomey urged his crowd to look past all of it.
Additionally, he joked that Pulitzer Prizes ought to expire after a certain number of years, as this prestigious honor becomes the sole way in which people identify themselves. Eventually, these award winners fall into irrelevancy.
As accomplished as Twomey is, he urged all who listened to not be intimidated by resumes and work histories. In an age like today, where journalism is so heavily attacked, Twomey urges young people not be frightened away, as our government always needs to be kept in check.
He continued to press on the urgent need for good and responsible journalism in today’s world, and how the task of creating that content will soon lie upon our generation. However, Twomey is not at all nervous about this transition. He feels that Fenwick has grown and improved so much from when he was a student in the late 1960s. He expressed great confidence that the Fenwick men and women alone can lead this effort–what an awesome responsibility that is.