Susan Muto
editor-in-chief, 1962-63

Undoubtedly, my best memory of my editorship of The Duke is at once exhilarating and painful. Producing each issue gave me a feeling of great accomplishment, especially due to the fact that I had opted for a double major: one in Journalism and the other in English Literature. My journalistic skills were challenged and fulfilled in many ways beyond what I could have expected. Perhaps this use of all of my writing and research talents contributed to my being awarded the Gold Medal in Journalism when I graduated from Duquesne in 1964. The pain had to do, of course, with managing the extracurricular hours demanded of me and the staff if we were to keep up with our standards of journalistic excellence in addition to meeting our class requirements. In the end, our volunteer work was more than worth it because so many readers reiterated the same compliment, “We love The Duke!”

George Heidekat
editor-in-chief, 1968

Heidekat came into his tenure at The Duke during a shift in national culture. The 1960’s were earmarked by social, racial, political and international tensions. Heidekat said he was young and naive coming into The Duke office. Post-grad he worked as a Navy journalist for a few years and The Daily Messenger in Homestead when he returned. After a stint in advertising and public relations, he ventured to start his own company, Heidekat Writing Services.

He noted covering protests in the Hill District following Martin Luther King Jr.’s death as significant at the time.

“We had young reporters who were very talented and who gave us at least some sense of relevance and our place in the community,” Heidekat said. “Most of the time, we felt we were a local hometown paper, and our hometown was Duquesne University campus.”

He said the reporting, writing, organizational and publishing skills he learned were a great experience to take into his career.

“One of the artifacts from the old Duke office … which I carry in my heart to this day, was a little hand lettered sign that said, edit tite, T, I T, E, just, like a trim everything down to the bare minimum, to the point where you don’t even spell T, I G, H, T,” he said

Linda Colleran
editor-in-chief, 1983-1984

My four years at The Duke are among my favorite memories of Duquesne. The Duke staff were extremely supportive with tons of laughter among the late nights and pressing deadlines. Thursday nights were legendary and sober! I made very few Friday classes. I sought that same “hectic” camaraderie in my advertising career in every city I worked — Pgh, Cincy, NYC & LA. College is a time to have fun, mature, figure out the tools to succeed in the future, and if you’re lucky, find a partner who shares your goals. DU certainly prepared me for success in life & love. Must admit the campus is way prettier than early 80’s! Thanks for the fantastic memories and best of luck to current Duke staff.

John Wdowiak
editor-in-chief, 1984-85

If my four years at Duquesne were wonderful (and they were), then my three years on The Duke staff were memorable, formidable and nothing short of a blessing. I made lifelong friends who were on the staff with me — that’s what I’ll remember most — and the experiences there helped to shape my life and career. The Duke was a stellar example of student journalism and it’s something that the university should always hold up, not just as an activity, but an asset. A favorite memory? There’s too many to count but if you forced me, I’d say Wednesday nights — crazy as it might sound. The cooperation, togetherness and feeling of accomplishment each week was a rush that few people could understand. I’m forever grateful to have been part of The Duke.

Luis Fabregas
staff writer, 1985-1988

Seeing my byline for the first time in The Duke was a big deal to me. It made me realize that perhaps I had a future in journalism. I loved seeing my words in print. I remember writing reviews for the features section, including for a few stand-up comedians who would perform at the student union. My memory is rusty, but I keep thinking one of them was Jerry Seinfeld (but that could be wishful thinking on my part!). Regardless, it’s fun to look back at those days and appreciate all the opportunities we were given to learn about journalism and the importance of asking tough questions. As I look back, I realize how critical it is for us to nurture the new generation of journalists. We need to continue fighting misinformation and challenging government, businesses and nonprofits to show accountability. I am proud to see The Duke still going at it and doing such important work.

Shelley Veltri
editor-in-chief, 1994-95

Looking back 30 years ago, my time as a reporter, campus editor and editor-in-chief of The Duquesne Duke was invaluable during my newspaper career and beyond. Those years were a true learning experience and gave me my first opportunities to craft my interview and writing skills, and later my copy-editing and page layout and design skills.

But more important than the stories I covered and the pages I designed, The Duke’s staff gave a voice to students, faculty and administrators.

In the early to mid-90s, the Internet was just on the cusp of being utilized by the university, and social media, at least as we know it today, didn’t exist. It was the weekly edition of The Duke that brought the campus together. As I look back at the archives of The Duke from my time, I am most struck by the number of letters to the editor we published. Many were written by students, but even faculty and staff penned their thoughts and submitted them to The Duke. Topics ranged from Greek Life concerns to athletics to parking complaints, as well as campus events, academics and U.S. politics. Without The Duke, those voices would not have been heard.

Congratulations to The Duke on 100 years of serving the Duquesne community!”

Anthony Conroy
editor-in-chief, 1997-98

After writing for my student newspaper in high school, I caught the journalism bug and naturally sought out the newspaper after enrolling at Duquesne.

I won’t lie, because of The Duke, I became a terrible student — I missed midterms and finals and spent waaaay too much time begging and haggling with professors to give me an incomplete grade so I could make up the work later. (That included my own adviser, the late Dr. Clark Edwards). Most professors were agreeable and knew that, while I wasn’t attending their classes, I was devoting much of my time to learning the ins and outs of publishing a newspaper and getting as many assignments and bylines that I could muster.

Indeed, on campus, my backpack was usually missing textbooks but always had a reporter’s notebook, The Duke’s Nikon FM2 camera and several rolls of 400-speed black and white film. While at Duquesne, working at The Duke opened doors at USA Today, The Philadelphia Inquirer, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Those experiences allowed me to begin my professional career, make lifelong friends, and work in cities such as Savannah, Ga., Baltimore and Pittsburgh.

Working at The Duke also allowed me to explore different ways of telling a story, whether it be through words, photos or design. As my career progressed, I was able to refine my skills in each area and worked on some incredible projects with incredible people along the way.

Looking back, it’s hard to believe it all started in those tiny fourth-floor offices at the since-razed Des Places Communications Center. For four years, that office served as my home base at Duquesne — a place where I could work, study, eat and sometimes sleep; it also played an invaluable role in allowing me to experiment, grow and learn my craft

Mo Mozuch
editor-in-chief, 2005-07

Graduating in the midst of the Great Recession my “career” didn’t start for nearly five years after I left The Duke. A humbling start as a freelance writer for eHow.com penning articles such as “What Does The Mother of the Groom Wear To A Beach Wedding.” I managed to parlay those meager clips into a full-time gig as a tech reporter for International Business Times. I wrote for an affiliate site, idigitaltimes.com, for about a year until I became its editor. From there my career started in earnest. I grew iDigi into a top 5 tech and gaming news site and caught the attention of Newsweek, another brand in the IBT umbrella. We were incorporated into Newsweek.com and began running content in the magazine soon after I became a senior editor for the publication. After a few years I pivoted to publishing in search of a new challenge, and have been an editor for Callisto Publishing since 2019.

The most consequential story during my tenure as editor was an on-campus shooting that nearly claimed the life of Dukes basketball star Sam Ashaolu. He managed a miraculous recovery after being shot in the head, but in the 48 hours after the incident there was a lot to process. The entire editorial staff rallied to cover every possible angle, so much so that we were awarded SPJ honors for Breaking News stories that year. A subsequent award-winning piece penned by Chris Young about a similar shooting that occurred that night in Uptown, involving a young man who did not have the same luck as Sam, was particularly impactful as it provided a clear contrast on how gun violence is covered by the media.

Robyn Rudish-Laning
editor-in-chief, 2012-13

Working at The Duke helped me develop skills I would never have learned in a classroom. First as a reporter and later as editor-in-chief, I learned how to do my own research, think critically, trust my gut, adapt on the fly, write concisely, effectively communicate complex ideas, manage my time efficiently and lead empathetically. Even though I ultimately didn’t become a journalist, these skills have been an invaluable part of my toolbox throughout my career as a communications professional, especially over the last five or so years as I’ve worked in public health. There is no substitute for experience and having the opportunity to learn as I went and make mistakes — because you will make mistakes — in a supportive environment like The Duke made me not only the professional I am today, but the person I am as well.

Leah Devorak
editor-in-chief, 2017

It may be cliché, but my favorite memory from my time as editor-in-chief was simply the staff. It’s tough to not grow fond of those you labor tirelessly alongside, night after night, week after week, all with a common goal of serving the community through a deep love of the written word. From the copious amounts of takeout and countless inside jokes to that one spooky séance, simply being with the staff was the highlight of those days, and even now, those moments together are my most cherished.

My other favorite memory, however, is not so much a favorite, but is rather the wildest thing to have happened during my tenure. At one point, the SGA tried blocking The Duke from publishing its publicly announced budget, and while the debacle ended in The Duke’s favor, a so-called democratic government actually attempting to censor the free press will forever live in my mind, as it’s never acceptable for any government to shatter the basic human right of free speech by censoring its people and press – whether a student government at a private university or the actual government elected to serve this country.

Currently, I work in data analytics and communications in the energy sector.

Raymond Arke
editor-in-chief, 2018

As the fall 2018 editor-in-chief, I was deeply inspired by those national discussions and sought to expand The Duke beyond “just” being a student newspaper by focusing on hard news, on-and-off campus, that would resonate with students.

I was proud to see our paper win numerous awards and receive national attention for our stories in outlets like The Pittsburgh City Paper and Politico during my tenure. This success could not have been possible without my wonderful colleagues and friends. The paper created lifelong friendships and memories I’ll forever treasure. To paraphrase from H.L Mencken, as I did in my farewell column in 2018, it truly was “the life of kings.”

Colleen Hammond
editor-in-chief, 2021-2022

On my first day as a professional journalist, a man fell from a plane without a parachute. Authorities struggled for hours to find his body along the flight path. Even though I was the greenest reporter on staff and several states away from anywhere I had previously called home, I knew exactly what to do in the field. I asked the right questions and found the heart of the story. I credit that ability to my time at The Duke.

Nights at The Duke are among the most treasured of my college years. The Duke was, and hopefully remains, a haven for writers to find their voice. I have never laughed harder or learned more than during my time at The Duke.

The Duke also introduced me to my lifelong friend, Zoe Stratos, who I still work alongside today.

I am eternally grateful I was able to keep the torch lit and serve as The Duke’s caretaker from 2021-22.

Luke Henne
editor-in-chief, 2022-23

The Duke means the world to me. I walked into the newsroom as a freshman trying to bolster my writing, and I walked out as a senior as the departing editor-in-chief. I owe every bit of my success, both at Duquesne and in the professional world, to the people and experience that came from working at The Duke. The friendships and relationships I built during my time in the newsroom are ones that I will carry with me for the rest of my life. They say if you do something you love, you’ll never work a day in your life, and every day in that newsroom was an absolute gift.

Emma Polen
editor-in-chief, 2023-24

Late nights at The Duke were one of my favorite weekly rituals. Scouting for sources, scrounging up random snack dinners at 1 a.m., and laughing increasingly hysterically as our puns got decreasingly clever were the best parts of the night (in addition to being surrounded by A+ student and professional journalists, of course). Now, I work in video production for local government, but working on a tight deadline with a great team of people is nothing new. The Duke taught me calm under pressure, which recently served me well when I was late for my current job’s interview. I got the dates wrong and had five minutes to prepare. But I got the job and was told my ability to show up unfazed was part of the reason they hired me (don’t be late to your interviews, kids).

Congrats to my friends at The Duquesne Duke for putting together an incredible issue celebrating the 100th anniversary of the publication!