| Former Videtters inducted into second Hall of Fame |
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| Written by Alyssa Siegele, Daily Vidette Assignment Editor |
| Monday, 16 November 2009 02:15 |
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Saturday night, student members of the Daily Vidette joined Vidette alumni to honor four new Hall of Fame inductees. They included: Jay Blunk, former sports editor; Bill Gaspard, former editor in chief; Todd Heisler, former photo editor and Heidi Voorhees, former assignment editor. Another two former Videtters, Harry Thiel and Mike Shelly, were honored as well. Thiel, who served as general manager for 20 years, spoke fondly of his many years in the Vidette newsroom.  “He had to do a clinic in Metcalf but walked into the Vidette building, and I walked up to talk to him and took him across the street. I got a column out of it.” Blunk presented Rick Jones, current general manager of the Vidette, with a customized Blackhawks jersey with “Vidette 09” printed on the back. Inducted next was Bill Gaspard, a former editor in chief of the Vidette who set the record for the longest time served and who now works with the Los Angeles Sun. During his time at the Vidette, he redesigned the paper and picked up design skills to later use as design editor and art director. “My job at the Vidette started my passion,” he said. “Harry was my mentor. His approach was the only one that would have worked,” Gaspard said. Todd Heisler, a former Vidette photo editor and current photographer for the New York Times, had plenty to say during the induction ceremony about how the Vidette served his career. “The Vidette was my education,” he said. “Harry Thiel deserves so much recognition. His red pen was our moral compass. On one photo he wrote ‘Was this shot by a drunken sailor?’ We lived and breathed the Vidette. It gave us a place to make mistakes,” Heisler explained. For one assignment, Heisler was asked to visit the ISU farm and found newborn calves. The owner specifically said the calves were dairy cows, not beef cows. The headline the following day read “Burgers in training.” Heisler has won two Pulitzer Prizes, one for his work on wildfires and another for his work with Marines and their families, both during his time in Denver with the Rocky Mountain News. The final inductee, Heidi Voorhees, who was a former assignment editor, now works with Voorhees Associates LLC, a consultant firm handling executive recruitment and management consulting. “I’m truly honored to be inducted into the Vidette Hall of Fame,” she said. “The Vidette is and was a great organization. It was a great starting off point and a great family. We worked long hours and hard hours and it was fun and challenging,” she said. Harry Thiel concluded the ceremony by remembering the time he served as general manager. “It was a time of great change,” he said. “It wasn’t easy but it was a lot of fun. I’ll always remember my days here.” Many returning Videtters remember such idiosyncrasies as Thiel’s infamous red pen. He told current Videtters about his strong memories of all the students that passed through. “I do it for the students,” he said.
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