For many years, the quickest way to reach the Chicago Sun-Times newsroom was by dialing 321-2522. That phone rang on the city desk, and often would be answered by the gruff, no-nonsense, suffer-no-fools nicotine growl of Connie Wilkie.
"Connie ran the city room like a drill sergeant," remembered Scott Fornek, a Sun-Times breaking news editor. "I believe her title was something like ‘chief editorial assistant,’ but she was effectively an office manager for the newsroom, overseeing the clerical staff, handling scheduling, expense accounts, vacation requests — and everything else that it takes to keep an office of that size running."
 |
| Connie Wilkie |
“Connie was a rock in the Sun-Times newsroom, efficiently ensuring that phone calls into the city desk from sources, reporters, cranky readers and others were channeled in the right direction,” said Alan Henry, a former editor. “Graced with a kind heart and a dry sense of humor, she was a pleasure to be around and was one of the ‘characters’ who helped make the newsroom a fun place to work.”
Ms. Wilkie had a genius for friendship — not only was she friends with Mary Dedinsky, who rose to managing editor, during her time at the paper, but they remained friends for decades afterward.
"We continued our friendship," Dedinsky said. "Every Christmas and birthday I got a card with a witty note inside. She loved antiques, good food and parties. I have all over my house gifts from Connie, wonderful carnival glass and antique plates. It was always fun to be with her. There was an energy and a wit. She made the best cheesecake I ever tasted in my life: sumptuous."
Don Hayner, former editor-in-chief, said, "Connie was tough, loyal and smart. She could be formidable when needed, and kind. There was nobody who was a better protector of the Sun-Times and its people.”
Some of its people, that is.
"She was one tough cookie," remembered Fran Spielman, the paper's longtime City Hall reporter. "A gruff drill sergeant. An iron lady with a heart of gold. If she liked you, she was fiercely protective of you. She would do anything. But boy, you didn't want to cross her. If she didn't like you, you wouldn't get any calls forwarded to you."
To continue reading, click here.
A lovely tribute. It brings back memories of the office managers (or whatever their titles might have been) I knew in my 40-year career, who really ran the show. Everyone knew them and the influence they carried, knew to get and stay on their good side, and - if you weren't scared to death of them - knew the fun, smart person behind the gruff exterior. Cheers to all the "Connies" ... I'm not sure they exist in the same way today, and that's a sad thing.
ReplyDeleteCovid is still a threat.
ReplyDeleteWhen we lived in Lakeview on the late 70s our phone number was one digit off that Sun-Times customer service number. We would get many irate calls from people whose paper wasn't delivered. Some of them took a lot of convincing that we weren't the Sun-Times.
ReplyDeleteI worked in the Sun-Times newsroom in the '70s. Connie was a fine force in the newsroom even back then.
ReplyDeleteSo did I...well, actually, I worked in the wire room (teletype machine, telexes, and the first primitive faxes) between the Sun-Times and the CDN newsrooms. From '76 to '78. So why do I have almost no memory of her at all? Maybe it was because the wire room was a sort of limbo...an island in a turbulent sea of activity.
DeleteOr maybe it's because she wasn't really the boss of me...I had two bosses, one of whom was Frank DeSanti, who ran the wire room for years, and whose wife Shirlee also worked there. And I had another boss, but the less said about her, the better.
If it helps, I worked with her for 15 years and had no memory, except that I gave her a wide berth — I imagine I was one of those people she didn't take a shine to. Now that you mention Shirlee, I believe I wrote her obit too. Maybe I'll post that on a quiet day. She sat at the front desk, and there would be a plate a cookies, and I would pause, take a cookie, ask her some benign question about her life, then pad back to my computer and update her obit. It struck me as rather cold, at the time, but we do what we must.
DeleteWhat a story. I can't get over "She would go to the roof to get undeveloped film that had been flown from Wrigley Field attached to the leg of a homing pigeon." I'd love to see a photo of that if there's one somewhere.
ReplyDeleteThere is a photo. I will track it down.
DeleteI do remember Shirlee, Mr. S. And I still have my copy of "Done In a Day"...the anthology of memorable CDN stories that was published in the mid-70s. Frank signed it. I also recall finding Shirlee's 2003 obituary while looking for Frank's (he died in 1996). I believe you wrote it.
DeletePretty sure I've seen the homing pigeon photo. I may have it in a book. If it's not in a book about the Sun-Times, then it's in a book about either Wrigley or the Cubs...and I have a lot of both kinds. I'll try to find it.