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Andy Hullinger (Medill Lecturer)

Andy Hullinger in a flowered shirt.

Andrew Steven Hullinger, known affectionately as Andy, left this world on July 4, 2025, suddenly and unexpectedly due to complications of cancer, which he had been living with for over a year. Born in Decatur, Illinois on October 12, 1965, Andy’s optimism and imagination inspired everyone he met. He passed away with his wife by his side in Evanston, Illinois, leaving a legacy of curiosity, creativity, and joy.

Andy was the beloved husband of 35 years to Meg Egan and the proud father of Lily (Michelle) and Ben (Margaret) Hullinger. He was a cherished brother to Dana (Lynnette), Jon (Morgan), and Ty Hullinger. His role as a fun-loving uncle to Amanda, Fiona, Rachel, Maeve, Riley, Cait, Roan, Finley, Maddie, and Luke, as well as a great-uncle to Joseph and Isaac, will be fondly remembered. He was preceded in death by his parents, Jasper and Joyce Hullinger.

Andy earned his Bachelor of Arts in Speech Communication at Blackburn College in 1987 and applied his skills and passion for design throughout his professional life. His career included influential positions as Creative Director/Designer for numerous advertising agencies, including Dept. 11, HY Connect, energyBBDO, Y&R, Element 79 Partners, Leo Burnett Company, Capps Digital, and Willson Graphics. In 2008, Andy changed career paths to become a Design Professor and Department Chair of Web Design & Development at Harrington College of Design. In 2015, he achieved his MFA in Communications Design and worked as an educator and lecturer at Medill. He loved his new role as a teacher, helping to shape the talents and creativity of his students. His students all loved learning from him. His creative pursuits and recognitions also included working as a Type Designer for T26 and the creation of the award-winning children’s book App, Dragon Brush. One of his font designs, Christmas Gift Script, can be found in the older editions of the 3rd Harry Potter book, The Prisoner of Azkaban, in reference to Mr. Padfoot on the Marauder’s Map.

Whether playing guitar with his band at The Musical Offering, singing with the North Shore Choral Society, or designing for the Women’s Western Golf Association, Andy brought a unique flair and enthusiasm to every creative endeavor. A noted “jack-of-all-trades and self-proclaimed “Renaissance Man”, his talents and hobbies ranged from caring for animals to collecting fountain pens, Blackwing pencils, and Field Notes. Andy was a skilled woodworker, luthier, and entertainer, who was a card-carrying member of the International Brotherhood of Magicians, Order of Merlin.

Andy was a devoted and loving father to Lily and Ben Hullinger. He took great pride in being a parent, especially through reading books to his kids, creating costumes for Halloween, assisting them with the Science Olympiad, and being an active mentor in their day-to-day lives. Andy was proud to see his creativity reflected through Lily and Ben’s numerous artistic passions.

Andrew Steven Hullinger’s journey through life was one marked by laughter, hope, and an unwavering commitment to enriching the lives of others through his creative spirit, kind heart, and quick wit. His memory will continue to inspire and uplift those who were fortunate enough to know him.

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2025 George R.R. Martin Summer Writing Workshop Fellows announced

head shots of the 10 fellows

Ten writers have been accepted into this year’s George R.R. Martin Summer Intensive Writing Workshop at Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications. The workshop will take place in Evanston in July.

Medill received almost 200 workshop applications from accomplished journalists around the world. The group of fellows includes veteran journalists covering a variety of topics such as entertainment, immigration, business, health, and fashion. They hail from all across the United States, the United Kingdom, Mexico, and Israel.

Meet the fellows!

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McCormick Foundation awards $3.6 million, three-year grant to the Medill Local News Initiative

The Robert R. McCormick Foundation has awarded a $3.6 million, three-year grant to the Medill Local News Initiative at Northwestern to expand the University’s work to strengthen local news and scholastic journalism in Illinois.

The grant provides funding for Medill to create a shared services hub that offers expert help and infrastructure support to news outlets in the Chicago region. The grant also will allow Medill to continue its efforts to bolster coverage of state government, propel the practice of solutions journalism and improve high school media programs.

The new hub, which will expand the Medill Local News Accelerator, will work directly with local news organizations in the Chicago area on critical needs like consumer research, audience strategy, product development, revenue diversification and legal services.

The hub is an outgrowth of Medill’s Metro Media Lab and Local News Accelerator programs, also funded by McCormick. Under those programs, Medill has been working with Chicago-area news outlets since 2020 on projects to help fortify the region’s local news ecosystem and improve coverage of matters relevant to its residents. Those programs have supported more than two dozen news organizations in the region serving more than 5 million Illinoisians.

“We’re grateful to the McCormick Foundation for its continued investment, and for its confidence in us to help grow original, reliable local news and information at this critical moment,” said Charles Whitaker, dean of Medill. “This new shared services hub will help us provide much-needed resources to Chicago area news outlets. And it will allow them to spend more time focusing on what they do best — providing valuable journalism that helps residents be more informed about local matters that affect their daily lives.”

Timothy P. Knight, president and CEO of the Robert R. McCormick Foundation, said this grant supports a core mission of the foundation’s grant making.

“We invest in journalism to promote informed civic engagement and ensure government accountability,” he said. “We are enthusiastic that our continuing partnership with Medill advances this goal by strengthening local coverage of city and state government and improving newsroom sustainability.”

The new grant will support the ongoing work of the Medill Illinois News Bureau, which was launched last fall in partnership with the nonprofit outlet Capitol News Illinois. Under this program, Medill students provide coverage of state government news from Springfield and Chicago in collaboration with CNI, and their stories are distributed to 700 news outlets in Illinois and surrounding states. Since its launch, more than 20 graduate and undergraduate Statehouse Fellows have generated dozens of stories.

The Medill Midwest Solutions Journalism Hub, one of five universities nationwide affiliated with the Solutions Journalism Network, is providing training for newsrooms and colleges on the practice of solutions journalism. The Hub includes more than 50 partner news organizations and colleges across the Midwest. As part of building a community of practice, the Hub works directly with Chicago-area newsrooms on specific projects in solutions journalism, which explores reporting of responses to communities’ most vexing systemic problems.

McCormick’s grant also supports the ongoing work of Medill’s Teach for Chicago Journalism Program, which for the past five years has been helping Chicago-area high schools to bolster scholastic journalism through educational programs for students and teachers. Medill also has created a module for the College Board’s Advance Placement seminar course that incorporates journalism and media literacy. The module is being used in more than dozen high schools around the country.

All these programs are intended to help improve a local news ecosystem that is undergoing historic changes.

The Medill State of Local News Project has found that about 2.5 newspapers close in the U.S. every week and more than 50 million people live in counties with little to no access to local news. Medill research shows that Illinois has lost 45% of its newspapers in the last 20 years and 54% of its newspaper jobs in just the last decade. The state has five news desert counties and 40 others with only one remaining local news source. Combined, that equals 44% of all Illinois counties with limited access to local news.

The Chicago news landscape is healthier than many others around the country. The region counts well more than 100 local newspapers, digital-only sites, ethnic media and broadcast news outlets. Many of those outlets, however, are relatively small operations that need expertise and audience research to thrive over the long term, Whitaker said.

Medill launched its Local News Initiative in April 2018 as a research and development program to provide new insights about trends in local news and to work directly with news organizations to bolster sustainability. It’s supported by grants from major foundations, corporate contributors and individual donors.

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Madeline Halpern (MSJ86)

Madeline J. Halpern, née Jackolin, passed away peacefully at home on May 8, 2025. She was 79. Beloved wife of the late Richard C. Halpern, loving mother of Rebecca (Hal Rudnick), stepmother of Susan Winstead and Daniel (Mary) Halpern, and “Mam” to grandchildren Eden, Megan and Nathaniel.

Madeline, or “Maddi”, was born in Chicago, IL, on August 11, 1945, the daughter of Arlene Eier Jackolin and Luigi Giuseppe Iacolin (Louis Joseph Jackolin), a brick mason who immigrated from the town of San Leonardo in the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region of Italy. She was a devoted sister of Joyce June Keith, and Louis (Judy), Bill (Janet) and Robert Jackolin, and aunt and cousin to many.

A graduate of Harrison High School, Maddi was a lifelong learner who earned her Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University, which she parlayed into a successful career as a food journalist. In 1987, she developed, produced and starred in “All About Food” for Cablevision, the first food-related magazine show of its kind that later became the format of so many of the cooking shows we see on television today. She was also a regular columnist for several Chicago-area publications, including Today’s Chicago Woman, The Pioneer Press and Fra Noi.

Maddi and Richard, her soulmate of 44 years, were partners in the truest sense of the word. Maddi was instrumental in helping grow Richard’s career as a master builder who oversaw the construction of more than 200 Chicago-area landmarks and buildings around the world, including the Willis Tower, Navy Pier, the Museum of Contemporary Art, and the Harold Washington Library. A former member of the Women’s Board of the Goodman Theatre and Ravinia Festival, and a Governing Member of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Maddi and Richard also endowed the M.J. Halpern Scholarship Fund for Medill at Northwestern, and established the Architectural Engineering & Design Certificate Program and the Richard C. Halpern/RISE International Distinguished Architect in Residence at the McCormick School of Engineering. Maddi was a longtime member of the Chicago Botanic Garden, and she loved tending to her herb, vegetable and cut flower beds at the home that she and Richard built with Architect Tom Beeby in 2005.

A guiding light to all who were inspired by her, Maddi’s life was a masterclass in living, and dying, well. Her family is forever grateful to the many caregivers and cherished friends who helped maintain her charm, elegance and dignity to the very end.

https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/wilmette-il/madeline-halpern-12369249

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Medill, Marketing, and a Mic: How Peter Johnson (MSJ72) Found a Passion for Music Along the Way

Long before he became Dr. Johnson, a marketing professor at Fordham University, he was harmonizing at Northwestern’s fraternity parties and waiting for a draft letter from the U.S. Army.

“I graduated from Weinberg (formerly CAS) as an undergrad with a major in Economics in June of 1971,” Peter Johnson said. “And you may have heard from people that in those days, for young men, there was a military draft, I had a low lottery number, so I was almost certain I’d be called into service.”

But the letter that came wasn’t a draft notice — it was a reclassification. 

“The local draft board had filled its quota,” he said. “So there I am with no career plans.”

That unexpected twist led him back to Northwestern. A couple of his fraternity brothers had gone to graduate school at Medill to study advertising — what is now known as the Integrated Marketing Communications program. 

“One of them had a very good job at a Chicago ad agency, and I said, ‘Well, one more year of school, I can get myself teed up and go into marketing.’”

Johnson earned his Master of Science in Journalism in 1972, launching a career that would take him from big banks in Chicago to agencies on Madison Avenue, and eventually to Silicon Valley. And somewhere along the way, he also became a frontman in a rock band that’s been playing for more than 50 years.

Early in his career, Johnson focused on advertising and business development, working at major ad agencies and eventually riding the first wave of the internet boom.

“In 1995, a former boss of mine called me and said, ‘We just acquired an agency out in Silicon Valley, it’s all gonna be based on the internet.’ And I said, ‘What’s that?’”

A week later, during a trip to Mountain View, California, he was introduced to the pioneers of the web’s earliest days. 

“It was just amazing. I said, ‘This is the next big thing. Sign me up,’” Johnson said. “Six months later, the firm was landing million-dollar accounts.”

But as his business profile grew, so did a side passion — teaching. It started with a guest lecture at Pace University and quickly snowballed.

“I found I was spending so much time preparing for teaching that I was ignoring my day job,” Johnson said. “I brought that concern to a psychologist. I said, ‘I feel guilty. I’m spending more time teaching than on my job. It’s just so easy.’ And he said, ‘Well, do you think everybody finds teaching easy? That’s because you’re good at it.”

It was a revelation. From then on, Johnson knew he had to teach at a university.

At 57, he took the GRE, applied to a doctoral program at Pace University, and eventually earned his PhD. Today, he teaches in the marketing department at Fordham University’s Gabelli School of Business, where he specializes in services marketing.

“Services are actually different than products,” he said. “They’re intangible. You can’t really evaluate a service until you actually experience it — whether it’s renting a car or attending a university. So marketing services tend to be very challenging.”

He teaches core courses like marketing principles, customer-driven marketing, and purpose-driven marketing, as well as an MBA-level services marketing course. And yes, he still draws on lessons from Medill.

“There’s a skill I learned at Medill in the IMC program that I use in my teaching and used throughout my business career,” Johnson said. “That’s understanding the hierarchy of objectives: What do you want to accomplish? How do you accomplish it? What strategies do you use? That three-tiered approach has stayed with me my entire career.”

Another Medill takeaway: creativity. 

“We don’t teach enough of it,” he said. “Coming up with something that is indeed new, different, but also fits the brand and message. I’ve done research on whether creativity can be taught.”

And just like in business or teaching, performance is a recurring theme.

In 1971, while still in grad school, he lived in a rented house on Asbury Street in Evanston, where he heard music drifting through the walls. “I was friends with Rick Telander, a football player and a very accomplished guy,” he said. “I would come to the band rehearsals and just sort of sing along.”

With experience in a high school a cappella group, he had a good ear. 

“I could sing harmony, which many in the band could not do. So I would come in and harmonize on the leads and choruses. It added a little depth.”

His role then evolved into something bigger. 

“A lot of what I do with the band is perform—dance, play the tambourine, add energy to the performance. And that’s been really fun.”

As an article Telander wrote for the Chicago Magazine says, the band, Del-Crustaceans, has played at “countless weddings, including all our own. We’ve played in garages, in backyards, in tents, in seedy hillbilly bars, in swinging hipster bars, on a barge in Manhattan’s East River, in the lobby of a bank in a downtown high-rise, and at more country clubs than you can name. We’ve played at the Shedd Aquarium, Wrigley Field, Navy Pier’s Grand Ballroom, the Playboy Club in Lake Geneva, the Playboy Mansion on the Gold Coast,” and many more places they can’t recall anymore. Telander and Johnson are the only original members remaining, but the band continues to perform today, albeit less frequently. 

“We started out playing fraternity parties. This was before DJs—if you wanted music at a party, you hired a band,” he said. “We were never in it for the money. It was always in it because it was just so much fun.”

And it wasn’t just fun—it shaped how he approached his career. 

“I remember one time we played a Northwestern reunion at Norris,” Johnson said. “My boss was in the audience. After the show, he said, ‘I’m seeing a whole different side of you. I wish you brought that to work.’”

That stuck with Johnson. 

“Sometimes we have our work face on and don’t always feel we can express joy or emotion. The band helped me realize that’s okay to do,” he said

To students graduating from Medill today, he offers some advice: keep your creativity close.

“You don’t have to be Picasso,” he said. “But there’s a process for creative thinking, and that can be taught.”

Ultimately, the thread connecting his life—from advertising to academia to the stage—is simple: joy.

“We’ve formed our own musical enterprise that’s not based around money or even fame. As Rick wrote in the article, it’s really based around fun.”

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George R.R. Martin Summer Intensive Writing Workshop Fellows Announced for 2025 Session

Ten writers have been accepted into this year’s George R.R. Martin Summer Intensive Writing Workshop Medill.

Medill received almost 200 workshop applications from accomplished journalists around the world. The group of fellows includes veteran journalists covering a variety of topics such as entertainment, immigration, business, health, and fashion. They hail from all across the United States, the United Kingdom, Mexico, and Israel.

“We are delighted to have these immensely talented writers in our second workshop,” said Cheryl Lu-Lien Tan, George R.R. Martin Chair in Storytelling and senior lecturer. “Many have been working on these first novels for years. We look forward to helping them bring these vital stories out into the literary world.”

Over the course of the seven-day workshop, fellows will attend craft-focused classes on the various aspects of writing a novel, workshop their book chapters with instructors who are award-winning novelists themselves, attend firesides with visiting authors, have the opportunity to meet literary agents, and also have concentrated writing time.

“We are very grateful for the vision of George R.R. Martin,” Tan said. “His generosity has enabled us to create this workshop which will have an impact on literature.”

Visit the Medill website for bios on this year’s fellows.

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Ferguson Elwyn Rood (MSJ56)

Ferguson Rood smiling.

Ferguson Elwyn Rood, 95, formerly of Atlanta, Georgia, a distinguished pioneer in newspaper marketing and a beloved family man, passed away peacefully in Winchester, Virginia on February 24th, 2025 at Orchard Woods Healthcare Center at the Village at Orchard Ridge. Born on August 2, 1929, in Joliet, Illinois, Ferguson was the son of Owen and Euphemia (Ferguson) Rood. He was preceded in death by his parents, his brothers Owen and Frank Rood, and his wife, Nancy Haltom Rood.

Ferguson graduated from Lapier High School in 1947 and pursued higher education at Joliet Jr. College and Illinois Wesleyan College, earning a degree in Business. In 1952, he was drafted into the Army during the Korean War and served with the Army Signal Corps at Camp Gordon in Augusta, Georgia. After his military service, Ferguson attended Northwestern University in Chicago, where he earned a Master’s in Journalism in 1956 and met the love of his life, Nancy Haltom. The couple married in 1958 and were devoted to each other throughout their 58 years together.

Upon graduation, Ferguson began his career with the Atlanta Journal and Constitution in 1956, where he was instrumental in establishing the first Research and Marketing Department. His groundbreaking work in market research set new standards in the industry and was recognized in academic texts for advertising and marketing. Ferguson retired as the VP of Research and Marketing for Cox Newspaper, Inc. in 1988.

Throughout his career, Ferguson was actively involved in community and service organizations, including Toastmasters, Travel Aide Atlanta, The Newspaper Marketing and Research Association, Dekalb County PTA, and Oak Grove United Methodist Church.

Ferguson and Nancy were proud parents to three daughters: Cindy Robinson (David), Cathy Philips (Skip), and Carolyn Ferguson (James). He was a devoted grandfather to seven grandchildren: Emily Kauchak (Kevin), Will Heine, Stephen Philips, Christopher Philips, Erin Philips, Gavin Little, and Arden Little; as well as a cherished great-grandfather to Kingston and Harper Kauchak, and Camden and Beckham Heine.

Ferguson had a passion for travel, exploring all 50 states with Nancy in their beloved RVs. His sense of adventure and his joy in every place he visited were as remarkable as his renowned love for a good cigar and his quirky sense of humor.

The family extends their heartfelt thanks to the many caregivers who supported Ferguson in his later years; Inus Quincey, Blue Ridge Hospice, the staff at The Village at Orchard Ridge and the nurses and caregivers at Orchard Woods Healthcare Center for their tender loving care. Each caregiver was special and so appreciated.

Ferguson Elwyn Rood’s legacy of innovation, service, and love for his family will be remembered fondly by all who knew him. His life was a testament to dedication, curiosity, and a deep affection for those around him.

https://www.winchesterstar.com/obituaries/ferguson-elwyn-rood/article_45517de9-d73a-5fc2-a63c-4633d785bfe1.html

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Tom Germuska (BSJ62)

Thomas Allen Germuska, Sr., 84, retired communications consultant, formerly of Palatine, passed away unexpectedly on February 12, 2025 at home in Rolling Meadows, IL.

Born in Cleveland, Tom graduated from John Marshall High School and received his undergraduate degree from Medill. He was a Chicago Sun-Times reporter for six years before taking on a public relations position at United Airlines. He was at United for two decades before starting his own independent consulting company.

Tom was devoted to his church, and for many years ran the PADS Overnight Shelter Program at All Saints Lutheran Church. He enjoyed building homes with Habitat for Humanity.

Tom gave deeply of himself, had a strong sense of duty, and celebrated over 46 years of sobriety. A skilled ceramicist, he enjoyed his time at Thrown Elements Pottery in Arlington Heights. He especially loved exhibiting and selling his work at art shows, including the Edgewater Arts Festival, where he had numerous repeat customers.

Loving father of Thomas (Megan) Germuska of Avon Lake, OH and Joseph (Jenni Grover) Germuska of Skokie, IL. Proud step-grandfather (“Mr. G”) of Regan and Emma Campbell.

Dearest older brother of Richard “Dick” Germuska and Marilyn Best; brother-in-law of Joanne Germuska; and uncle of Jennifer (Tina Cameron) Rhone, Jill (Michael) Rotkis, and Jamie Germuska.

Preceded in death by former spouse Constance Ann Germuska (nee Gorlo) and parents Ladislaw and Stella Elizabeth (nee Vernick) Germuska.

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Christian Grönroos to receive 2025 Don Schultz Award

The recipient of the 2025 Don Schultz award for Innovation in Teaching, Theory and Practice of Integrated Marketing Communications.

Grönroos is a pioneering scholar in the field of marketing. He has developed an area of marketing scholarship known as service-dominant logic that closely parallels the approach of integrated marketing communications in prioritizing customer service and customer experience.

His articles are some of the most cited papers on IMC, and have advanced IMC thinking substantially.

“We are delighted to recognize Christian’s groundbreaking contributions to the marketing field,” said Medill Dean Charles Whitaker. “He is among the very best scholars in marketing in Europe, and thus, a worthy recipient of the Don Schultz Award which honors innovation.”

Grönroos is professor emeritus of service and relationship marketing at Hanken School of Economics, Finland. Besides his interest in service marketing and related areas, such as relationship marketing, service quality, and internal marketing, he has worked on new strategies for marketing and marketing communication.

In the context of marketing communication, he has particularly emphasized the role and power of customers. He has also advocated that integrated marketing communication must adhere to the numerous means of communication to become effective and not remain within a conventional range of communication channels.

He has published several books, translated to eight languages, and published extensively in scientific journals such as the Journal of Academy of Marketing Science, European Journal of Marketing, Australasian Journal of Marketing, Marketing Theory, Journal of Industrial & Business Marketing, Management Decision, Journal of Services Marketing, Journal of Service Management, and Journal of Service Theory and Practice, and in several other popular journals.

In 1999, he received American Marketing Association’s Servsig Career Award for his contribution to the service field and in 2013 he was elected Legend in Marketing by the Sheth Foundation.

Medill’s Schultz award is named for long-time Medill Professor Don Schultz who played a pivotal role in creating the field of Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC) and establishing the IMC department at Medill in the early 1990s. Medill was the first school to offer a graduate degree in Integrated Marketing Communications in the United States. Schultz is regarded internationally as the “father of IMC.” He died in 2020.

Grönroos will give a presentation to Medill faculty this spring and accept his award.

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Howard Geltzer (BSJ58, MSJ59)

Howard Geltzer, longtime Medill board of advisers and Hall of Achievement member, died Jan. 7, 2025. He was 88.

Geltzer and his wife Sheila started their public relations agency, Geltzer & Co. public relations, in New York City in 1974. At the end of the 1970s, Sony gave the agency responsibility to launch the Walkman. Sony had low expectations for the product and wanted to keep down costs. No advertising; no promotion; only the Geltzer & Co. publicity effort. The contract was three months long. The Walkman exceeded all sales expectations. The three-month assignment lasted 12 years. Sony moved all of its product publicity business to Geltzer & Co. Other clients over the years included Black and Decker Housewares, Dow Chemical, Morton Salt, Samsung, and Toshiba.

The Geltzers also ran the 2000 New York presidential campaign of Dick Gephardt, a fellow Northwestern alumnus.

After 26 years in business, the Geltzers sold their agency to Publicis, the multinational advertising and marketing agency.

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