Episodes

  • Bonnie Blair - Community Feeds The Dream

    Bonnie Blair - Community Feeds The Dream
    Feb 12 2026

    Bonnie Blair remains the most-decorated American woman to compete in the Winter Olympics. The lesson she teaches is life is a race against yourself. "Be better tomorrow" is a mantra she lives by, and spreads across the planet as a motivational speaker.

    In this episode, you'll hear how Bonnie's hometown of Champaign made her dreams possible. Plus, she shares how she survived all the advice she received as the youngest of six kids.

    Bonnie Blair is a member of the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame and co-founder of DASH -- a non-profit dedicated to promoting physical literacy through youth athletic programs. Our guest host for this Lincoln Laureates conversation is award-winning broadcast journalist Ann Compton.
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    28 mins
  • Carol Marin - A Compass Set For The Truth

    Carol Marin - A Compass Set For The Truth
    Nov 9 2025

    Carol Marin, grew up in a home where no less than 5 newspapers landed on the front porch every day. Independent debate was on the menu at every family meal, and set Carol on a path toward investigative journalism as a reporter on the CBS Evening News and the network’s legendary program 60 Minutes.

    In this episode, you'll learn what sparked Carol's passion for holding truth to power and the role the Land of Lincoln played in her pursuit of compelling stories. Plus, Carol shares her passion for guiding the next generation of reporters as co-founder of DePaul University's Center for Journalism Integrity & Excellence.

    Our guest host for this Lincoln Laureates conversation is award-winning broadcast journalist Chris Bury.
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    24 mins
  • Walter Massey - Tirelessly Exercising the Mind

    Walter Massey - Tirelessly Exercising the Mind
    Feb 19 2025
    By age 16, Walter Massey was already in his first year at Morehouse College and ready to prove he could solve any mathematical equation he was given. During this episode, you'll hear how this passionate thinker from Mississippi, turned one car ride during the Jim Crow Era into global acclaim as a physicist. Born in Hattiesburg, Walter Massey planted deep roots in the Land of Lincoln, as a professor at the University of Chicago and Director of Argonne National Laboratory. But it was the Civil Rights Movement that drove Mr. Massey to join the faculty at the University of Illinois as a mentor for Black Students in 1968. He's served as Director of the National Science Foundation, as President of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and currently chairs the board of the Giant Magellan Telescope Project in Chile. Our guest host for this Lincoln Laureates conversation is award-winning broadcast journalist, Ron Claiborne.
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    32 mins
  • Jerry Reinsdorf - Being True To Your Word

    Jerry Reinsdorf - Being True To Your Word
    Dec 30 2024
    During this episode of the Lincoln Laureates, we’ll hear from the son of a sewing machine salesman, with a deep passion for sports. This boy from Brooklyn has made Illinois his home for more than six decades. Jerry Reinsdorf’s journey has taken him from tax attorney to real estate investor, to seven-time champion as the owner of the Chicago White Sox and the Chicago Bulls. In this conversation, he uncovers the myth that centers on "breaking up" the Bulls dynasty. When the Chicago White Sox won the World Series in 2005, Mr. Reinsdorf became one of only three owners to claim world titles in two different sports. His philanthropy has funded reading programs across the entire Chicago Public School system, and provided more than $2 million dollars to reconstruct the Chicago Park District’s baseball and softball fields. Jerry Reinsdorf is a graduate of George Washington University and the Northwestern University School of Law. He received the Order of Lincoln Medallion in 1997. Our guest host for this Lincoln Laureates conversation is award-winning broadcast journalist, Chris Bury.
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    28 mins
  • Samuel K. Skinner - Answering The Call

    Samuel K. Skinner - Answering The Call
    May 17 2024
    From the age of seven, Samuel K. Skinner knew he wanted to be be a lawyer. He dreamed of guiding people through the legal system, like his hero Abraham Lincoln. During this episode of the Lincoln Laureates, we’ll hear the story of a leader who brought the “Illinois Way” to our nation’s capital. In Washington D.C., Sam Skinner was often called the “Boy Scout” for his sense of ethics and integrity. Mr. Skinner is, in fact, an Eagle Scout who spent his formative years in Springfield. As President George H.W. Bush’s Secretary of Transportation, he became known as the “Master of Disaster” for his leadership following the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill, and Hurricane Hugo, among other crises. Listen and you'll learn how Mr. Skinner 'answered the call.' Our guest host for this Lincoln Laureates conversation is award-winning broadcast journalist, Chris Bury.
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    24 mins
  • Tom Skilling - Weather Is A Symphony

    Tom Skilling - Weather Is A Symphony
    Aug 17 2023
    During this episode of the Lincoln Laureates, you’ll get a deeper understanding of a scientist with an unlikely destination. As a grade schooler, Tom Skilling was already studying the “upper air charts” published in the nation’s capital. At 14, he began his career as a weather forecaster on his hometown radio station in Aurora, Illinois. Mr. Skilling joined Chicago’s WGN-TV in 1978 as a meteorologist with a passion for public safety. More than four decades ago, he created the Annual Tornado and Severe Weather Seminar at FermiLab in Batavia with a watchful eye on the future of climate science. Tom Skilling received the Order of Lincoln Medallion in the spring of 2023. Our guest host for this Lincoln Laureates conversation is award-winning broadcast journalist, Bob Sirott.
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    32 mins
  • Jackie Joyner-Kersee - Honoring Your Roots

    Jackie Joyner-Kersee - Honoring Your Roots
    Dec 16 2022
    Equity and inclusion are largely terms of the 2010s, but Jackie Joyner-Kersee was fueling that thinking long before the turn of the century. As a basketball and track & field superstar growing up in East St. Louis, she beat multiple odds -- including asthma. During this episode of the Lincoln Laureates you'll learn how Jackie Joyner-Kersee rose from cinder tracks to Olympic gold, and why the heptathlon is a metaphor for "winning at life." Our guest host for this Lincoln Laureates conversation is Radio Hall of Famer Jim Bohannon.
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    30 mins
  • Newton Minow - The Public Interest

    Newton Minow - The Public Interest
    Nov 7 2022
    Newton Minow once told President John F. Kennedy that putting satellites in space was more important than putting a man there. During this episode of the Lincoln Laureates, you'll learn why. You'll also meet an Illinoisan deeply rooted in his convictions. As commissioner of the Federal Communications Commission, Newton placed high ideals on television broadcasters. His vision led generations of kids to discover sunny days on Sesame Street. It was his "vast wasteland" speech that challenged program creators to set the bar higher for television content. Our guest host for this Lincoln Laureates conversation is award-winning broadcast journalist, Mort Crim.
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    25 mins