485. Richard Horwitz, BA'63, MS'64 (03:12)

Date:
2018
Main contributors:
Horwitz, Richard
Summary:
Richard Horwitz’s photojournalism career was born of a series of right decisions made at the right time. It was a career that took him to all 50 states and 76 countries, that traversed multiple technological paradigm shifts in the photography and media worlds, and that supplied him more than an ordinary lifetime’s worth of adventures. Horwitz, who grew up in Illinois, planned to study astronomy in college. A high school advisor suggested he consider Indiana University. That’s when he made what he considers to be the first of his right decisions: He visited, fell in love immediately and ultimately enrolled. Having learned to shoot photos in high school, Horwitz joined the Arbutusyearbook as a staff photographer and quickly began to dedicate more time to his work there than to his regular classes. Concurrently, he found his dreams of pursuing astronomy soured by required math courses. His next major decision came: During his sophomore year, Horwitz spoke to department chairman John Stempel about changing his major from astronomy to journalism. It would require extra work, but it was worth it. “I don’t know where I would be today if I had stayed in astronomy,” Horwitz said. Horwitz also freelanced for the Associated Press, photographing sports and other assignments. After earning his bachelor’s degree in journalism in 1963 and his master’s degree in education with an audiovisual communication specialization in 1964, he took a full-time job with the AP in New York City. But the big city lifestyle wasn’t for him, so when a position on the Washington photo desk opened up, he applied for it — just in time for the Watergate scandal. In 1989, after decades of work in New York, Washington, Boston and Chicago, he became the AP’s European photo network director, a position that took him to London. The photojournalism profession evolved significantly during Horwitz’s 27-year career. As a college student and young AP photographer, Horwitz shot his work on film and transmitted photos via wire. His final assignment with the AP was to establish a commercial picture agency using the AP satellite to deliver digital pictures to newsrooms. Most of the job of picture editor is behind the scenes: assigning photographers, coordinating with stories, choosing pictures, writing captions and transmitting photos. Sometimes he also picked up a camera. Horwitz said the most rewarding part of his career was always the adventures. In 1976, a cargo tanker ship broke in half and sank off Nantucket. His aerial view was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize. In the midst of it all, his passion for astronomy found its place. He’s traveled to photograph a total of 15 eclipses, most notably a 1972 eclipse off the African coast and a 1979 eclipse in Canada. Both were used on the front page of The New York Times. He witnessed Apollo 11’s takeoff for the first moon landing. And there wasn’t a mite of math involved.

486. Sage Steele, BS'95 (03:17)

Date:
2018
Main contributors:
Steele, Sage
Summary:
Sage Steele is one of ESPN’s most popular and respected commentators, currently serving as the anchor for the 6 p.m. SportsCenter with co-anchor Kevin Negandhi and as lead host for SportsCenter on the Road. Her lead role for SportsCenter on the Road, which she’s held since September 2016, includes on-site, day-long and pre-event coverage for the biggest sports events of the year, including the NBA Finals, the Super Bowl, the World Series, the Masters, the College Football National Championship and many more. She’s anchored the 6 p.m. SportsCenter since May 2018. Previously, she anchored SportsCenter:AM, and she hosted NBA Countdown on ESPN and ABC from 2013-17. Steele joined ESPN in 2007, serving as a regular SportsCenter anchor until 2013. In addition to SportsCenter, she also has contributed to First Take and Mike & Mike, and has been a guest co-host of ESPN2’s SportsNation. She hosted ABC and ESPN’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve during the inaugural College Football Playoff. Beyond her work for ESPN, Steele has co-hosted ABC’s telecast of the Miss America pageant since 2016 and has been a featured guest host on ABC’s The View. She also hosted the Scripps National Spelling Bee from 2010-13. In 2015, Steele added “mommy blogger” to her job portfolio, contributing several stories to Disney-owned Babble. She has also been a guest on Jimmy Kimmel Live! and has been profiled by Rolling Stone, the Wall Street Journal, Vibe and Huffington Post, to name a few. In 2013, Steele had the honor of driving the pace car for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Brickyard 400 at the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Steele began her television career at WSBT-TV in South Bend, working as a producer and reporter from 1995-97. She then moved to WISH-TV in Indianapolis, where she was the beat reporter for the Indianapolis Colts, in addition to covering the 1997 NCAA men’s Final Four, NASCAR and the IndyCar Series. In August 1998, Steele moved to Tampa and worked as a reporter, anchor and host for WFTS-TV. She was the beat reporter for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 1998-2001 and covered the 1999 NCAA men’s Final Four. In 2000, she joined Fox Sports Net in Tampa as a reporter and covered Super Bowl XXXV for the 2000-01 NFL season. In April 2001, Steele became the anchor for the debut of Comcast SportsNet, serving the Washington, D.C./Baltimore region. She anchored the flagship show SportsNite for six years and was also a beat reporter for the Baltimore Ravens from 2001-05, hosting a magazine show for all five seasons. Steele graduated from IU in 1995 with a B.S. in sport communication. In her spare time, she is a board member for the Pat Tillman Foundation and is passionate about working alongside military veterans. She enjoys horseback riding and spending time with her husband and three children.