By Alyssa Allemand
Professor Jack Vitek, who spent 25 years in journalism before deciding to teach, retired from Edgewood College last semester after 16 years in the English Department.
Vitek’s journalism experience began at the Washington Daily News where he started as a copy boy. Within three months, he had worked his way up to being a reporter.
His first assignment was covering the mass Pentagon demonstration to protest the Vietnam war in the fall of 1967, where Vitek got his first dose of tear gas and witnessed youths getting viciously beaten by federal marshals.
“The year of 1968 was even more dramatic,” he said. “So many things were happening, including the assassinations of Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy.”
Vitek covered King’s last sermon at Washington’s National Cathedral. A short time later, King was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee.
Riots broke out in Washington D.C. and several other cities. Vitek spent a night watching the 14th Street community being looted and burned.
After his experience with the Washington Daily News, Vitek became an assistant press secretary for Democrat Senator Alan Cranston of California. “My newspaper buddies accused me of copping out, and I eventually left the job,” he said.
“In journalism at that time, if you got tired or somebody insulted you or you got mad at your city editor or something like that,” Vitek said, “you just…walked across the street and got on another paper. It’s just never been like that again.”
In 1970, Vitek joined Congressman Dick Ottinger, who was running for the vacant seat of Robert Kennedy in New York. Ottinger was a wealthy Democrat who entered the race with a secure lead, but eventually lost to Republican James Buckley.
Vitek then went on to work as a copy editor for the Wall Street Journal‘s National Desk for two years. “That was a really good paper,” he said. “You could grow up on the Wall Street Journal.” It was the nation’s highest circulation paper, with satellite presses and bureaus in major cities.
After those two years at the Wall Street Journal, Vitek began writing and publishing nonfiction novels, two of them bestsellers: Idol Rock Hudson: The True Story of an American Film Hero, and Defector’s Mistress.
Then, after 25 years in journalism, Vitek decided to attend graduate school to receive a Ph.D. “I enjoyed journalism very much, but it was turning sour at that time,” he said.
He attended Bowling Green State University in Ohio and studied American Culture. His undergraduate degree in English is from Johns Hopkins University.
During the summer of 1998, between semesters of graduate school, Vitek practiced journalism at Hello magazine in Madrid, Spain. Hello is the English language version of Spain’s Hola.
In 2002, Vitek was hired by Edgewood College to mentor the journalism program and advise On The Edge News. “Everybody wanted me to advise for the newspaper because of the journalism experience,” Vitek said. “They saw me as a pro, and I was by that time.”
Vitek was On The Edge adviser for 11 years. His first year, he said, “I kept thinking ‘oh we’re not ready yet, we’re not ready yet’, but (it) turns out, we were ready.” In 2006, On The Edge won four first prizes at the Wisconsin Newspapers Association’s college contest.
Along with his contributions to Edgewood’s journalism program, Vitek used his Ph.D. in American Culture Studies to develop some new courses. “I invented several courses in apocalyptic literature, and I think our students started to learn we’re living in an apocalyptic time,” he said.
One of Vitek’s most notable classes was Serial Killer Literature. “Every time I put that class up, it would fill right away,” he said.
Vitek reflected on his experience working in the English Department. “Nobody ever tried to stop me from doing something I wanted to do or teach,” he said. “I really am happy to be able to say that … I can’t complain, and I enjoyed it very much. It’s really one of the nicest things about Edgewood.”
During retirement, Vitek said he would be free to write. He grew up in Kansas and is thinking of writing about its “horrific-terrific history.”
“I’m going to stay in Madison for one more year to see if I can bear the winters and give it a chance,” Vitek said. “My whole life since I’ve been here, I’ve been bound up in the college.”
Vitek also plans to pick up the game of Bridge again.
He said it’s important to find things to do when going into retirement. “But even if you don’t find something to do,” he added, “it’s really nice to wake up and realize the day is all yours.”
Editor’s note: Prof. Vitek taught my Intro to Journalism class, and if he hadn’t recognized my potential, I wouldn’t be holding my position as editor. He has a rich history in the world of journalism that I greatly admire. I wish him well and want him to know On The Edge wouldn’t be what it is without him. Thank you, Jack.
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