A great mentor

In the fall of 1978, Bob Frisk took a chance on an immature recent high school graduate, hiring him to become a part-time sport writer with the Daily Herald. With Bob's belief and Jim Cook's unending patience, I received the journalism education of a lifetime that has molded my career.

Bob Frisk had many talents - balancing the different personalities of the sports department, juggling phone calls from readers and making sure the Daily Herald was a top-notch sports section. But his best might have been nurturing young talent. Many writers started their careers at the Daily Herald and have left their mark at newspapers around the United States.

No story was ever too small. Each deserved a 100 percent effort because that story was important to someone. And that someone was the reader.

Many a time, he would toss the sports dictionary your way and say, 'Women's rugby. Learn about it." And that weekend would find you covering the national women's rugby tournament.

He had faith in his young sports reporters, giving them high school beats of their own. And we busted our butts to do the best job possible. We did not want to disappoint Bob.

I have had the opportunities to work at newspapers in Illinois, New Mexico and Montana. I've carved out a name for myself in the world of rodeo.

When told that writing about rodeo would be a significant portion of my job during one interview, I was not afraid. You can find a story anywhere. I learned that from Bob Frisk.

Bob Frisk's impact goes beyond the Daily Herald and the Northwest suburbs. You can find his guidance and enthusiasm in writers all across the country and with many different publications.

All we can say is thank you.

Joe Kusek

Billings, Montana