Award Winning Columnist: Bob Hill

Friday, May 9th, 2025
1:00 PM

The Ethnic Heritage Museum will host the Ernie Pyle Legacy Award-winning columnist Bob Hill on Friday, May 9th starting at 1:00pm. Bob's newspaper career began in the Rockford area. He started reporting and writing columns in 1967 at the Sycamore Sun Tribune and True Republican newspapers, then moved to the Rockford Morning Star (now Register Star) which sent him to cover the 1973 World Ice Skating Championships in Bratislava (then Czechoslovakia). Bob was there to report on Rockford skater Janet Lynn who took home the Silver Medal. 

In 1975, Bob moved to Louisville, KY, where he wrote thousands of columns for the Louisville Times and Courier-Journal. He includes many of these columns in his new memoir, Out Here, plus memories of his time working at Chrysler's Belvidere Assembly. Bob was present when a deadly tornado damaged that facility in April, 1967.
 

Bob's talk, which includes a slide presentation, should take 45 mins or so, followed by Q&A. Of course, he'd love to sign copies of his new memoir, Out Here. Robin's Nest Bookshoppe will run the point of sale. This presentation is free to the public but donations are greatly appreciated. 

The above photos:
The first (1967) features Bob on the right holding the camera. The man on the left is David Ross, the late father of Rockford author and playwright Connie Kuntz.
 
The second photo with the soldier features Bob (left) in Czechoslovakia. The Rockford Morning Star (now Register Star) sent him there to cover the 1973 World Ice Skating Championships in Bratislava. Bob was there to report on Rockford skater Janet Lynn who took home the Silver Medal.
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The third photo is Bob and his wife Janet on their farm near Irene, Illinois, in 1974.
 
Finally, the cover art for Bob's memoir and Bobbi Hays of Robin’s Nest Bookshoppe in DeKalb.