In 1985 I returned to my hometown of Joliet as a feature writer at the Herald-News. An attractive job offer drew me back, but I felt as many do about their hometowns: I didn’t want to remain there. I made good friends among the staff but disliked some non-pc attitudes in the newsroom.
When I left the Herald-News and joined Northwestern University’s publications office in 1990, I expected to find more political correctness (though the term wasn’t in widespread use yet). That I did, along with, at first, intellectual pretentiousness and snobbery. Well, I had been a snob about my hometown, so maybe the tough early years at Northwestern were payback.
Fast forward more than three decades to a reunion of former Herald-News newsroom staff last Saturday afternoon. I can’t remember when I was so comfortable and unselfconscious at a party.