Oh, I love the idea of being anyone's hero!! Sorry you passed Medill by, but eventually at least came back to the writing life. My mother went to Northwestern grad school in, ahem, the 1920s.

I am still inclined to slip into my Brenda Starr mode when curious events warrant investigation; not sure if I could qualify for Lois Lane.

Ernie Pyle did get us all through WWII and it's hard not to yearn for the days of the super-trustable Walter Cronkite & Edward R. Murrow.

But my generation was actually Roger Mudd, who dated my sister Mimi in the early 50s and with whom I reconnected 40-some years later and had a ball with (my husband understood; he & Roger got to be news junkie pals) whenever I was in DC until he died a few years ago.

...and especially syndicated columnist Charley McDowell (DC-based, Richmond Times-Dispatch) who married my childhood best friend and was just a national treasure. Charley was a regular on PBS NewsHour in its glory days, and also narrated some Ken Burns films.

So those were MY heroes! All of whom could write rings around me, but left me at least with endless inspiration.

Thanks for reading, and for this little trip down memory lane!