Here’s wishing the happiest of birthdays to six superlative visual journalists…
Ron Brackett is assistant managing editor for editing and design for the Tampa Bay Times of St. Petersburg, Fla. A 1985 graduate of the University of South Carolina, Ron spent a year as a copy editor for the Greenville (S.C.) News before moving to the Times as a copy editor for the regional/metro team. He was promoted to community news editor in 1992, to executive news editor in 2001, to director of news art in 2004 and then to senior editor for nights in 2009. He was promoted to AME in 2012. Find his Twitter feed here.
Jack Kruyne is art director of Stack magazine, aimed at high school athletes and based in Cleveland, Ohio. A 1987 graduate of Milwaukee’s Cardinal Stritch University — where he served as women’s volleyball coach — Jack spent seven years as a designer for Nucomp, a prepress service and then 13 years with the Sporting News in St. Louis and Charlotte, N.C., as a color systems manager, prepress specialist, magazine art director and senior designer for an e-magazine, Sporting News Today. Jack took on his current assignment three years ago. Find his portfolio here. Jack turns 49 today.
Daniel Niblock is lead multimedia developer for Swarm Interactive in Chapel Hill, N.C. A 1996 graduate of the University of North Carolina, Dan spent eight years as a graphics reporter for the Sun-Sentinel of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., before leaving newspapers to work for his Sun-Sentinel colleagues Don Wittekind and Scott Horner at Swarm. In addition, Daniel created a news site and an advocacy group for Down Syndrome. Read about his most recent advocacy efforts here and here. Find his portfolio site here and his poetry blog here. Daniel turns 39 today.
Ryan Smith is an unemployed visual journalist based in Indianapolis, Ind. A 2007 graduate of Ball State University, Ryan was a designer, artist and columnist for the Ball State Daily News. Upon graduation, he joined the New Orleans Times-Picayune and worked there five years, even being nominated for Pulitzer Prize. He was laid off when Advance downsized that paper last fall. Find his portfolio site here, his Tumblr blog here and his Twitter feed here. Ryan turns 28 today.
Molly Swisher is a grad student at LIOS College in Seattle, Wash., studying psychology and systems counseling. A 1979 graduate of the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, Molly spent two years as an artist and illustrator for the Lexington (Ky.) Herald-Leader and then another three-and-a-half years as news art director for the San Jose Mercury News before moving to the Oregonian of Portland in 1994. Along the way, she picked up a Bachelor’s of Fine Art at the Art Center College of Design, graduating with honors in 1986. After 15 years at the Oregonian, Molly departed newspapers in 2009. Once she earns her Master’s degree, she hopes to open up a counseling practice.
Todd Trumbull is a graphic artist for the San Francisco Chronicle. A 1993 graduate of the University of California, Berkeley, Todd worked as an artist at the San Gabriel Valley Tribune, the Corpus Christi (Texas) Caller-Times and ANG Newspapers of Oakland before joining the Chicago Tribune in 1998. He moved to the Chronicle a year later.
Ryan, Todd, Daniel, Jack, Molly and Ron share a birthday with actors Drew Blyth Barrymore, Kyle Merritt MacLachlan, Robert George Young, Jenna Haze and Jeri Lynn Zimmerman (better known as Jeri Ryan); musicians James Hillier Blount (better known as James Blunt), Jennifer Frost (of Atomic Kitten), Bradley James Nowell (of Sublime) and Frédéric François Chopin; TV fashion consultant Clinton Kelly; TV wildlife expert Steve Robert Irwin; TV producer Sheldon Leonard; director Robert Jonathan Demme; sports greats Julius Winfield Erving II (better known as basketball’s Dr. J), Rajon Pierre Rondo (basketball), Vijay Singh (golf), Michael Te-Pei Chang (tennis), George Lee “Sparky” Anderson (baseball manager) and Jay Harris (ESPN SportsCenter); Boy Scouts founder Robert Stephenson Smyth Baden-Powell; lawyer (and father of the infamous Kardashian sisters) Robert George Kardashian; former world’s tallest man Robert Pershing Wadlow and politicians William Harrison “Bill” Frist, David M. Axelrod, Edward Moore “Ted” Kennedy and George Washington.
In addition, today is National Margarita Day, Woolworth’s Day and World Thinking Day. Seriously.
Best wishes, all! Have an excellent birthday!
