Mike Royko facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Mike Royko
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c. Early 1970s
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| Born | Michael Royko Jr. September 19, 1932 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Died | April 29, 1997 (aged 64) Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Resting place | Acacia Park Cemetery, Chicago |
| Occupation |
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| Language | English |
| Period | 1955–1997 |
| Notable awards | Pulitzer Prize for Commentary (1972) |
| Spouse |
Carol Duckman
(m. 1954; died 1979)Judy Arndt
(m. 1986) |
| Children | 4 |
Michael Royko Jr. (born September 19, 1932 – died April 29, 1997) was a famous American newspaper writer from Chicago. He wrote over 7,500 daily articles, called columns, during his 30-year career. His columns appeared in major newspapers like the Chicago Daily News, the Chicago Sun-Times, and the Chicago Tribune. Mike Royko was known for his humor and for writing about everyday life in Chicago. He won the important Pulitzer Prize for commentary in 1972 for his writing.
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Mike Royko's Early Life and Career
Mike Royko grew up in Chicago, Illinois. His family lived in an apartment above a local bar. His mother, Helen, was from Poland, and his father, Michael, was from Ukraine.
After a short time at college, Royko joined the United States Air Force in 1952. His experiences growing up in Chicago often inspired his later newspaper columns.
Becoming a Reporter
Royko started his career as a news writer in 1955. He wrote for an Air Force newspaper called The O'Hare News. Later, he worked for the City News Bureau of Chicago and local papers like the Lincoln-Belmont Booster.
He then became a reporter for the Chicago Daily News. He quickly became known for asking tough questions. He often challenged local politicians with his sharp reports.
His Famous Writing Career
Royko first wrote about politics in Cook County, Illinois. He also wrote a weekly column about Chicago's folk music scene. These columns were very popular.
A Daily Voice
By 1964, Royko was given his own daily column in the Daily News. He wrote about many different topics. His column appeared five days a week until 1992, when he cut back to four days. People admired how much he wrote. In 1972, he won the Pulitzer Prize for Commentary for his work at the Daily News.
Changing Newspapers
When the Daily News closed, Royko moved to the Chicago Sun-Times. In 1984, a media owner named Rupert Murdoch bought the Sun-Times. Royko had said he would never work for Murdoch. He believed Murdoch cared more about power than good journalism.
Despite his feelings, Mike Royko later moved to the rival Chicago Tribune. He had also said he would never work for the Tribune. He never felt completely comfortable there. For a while, both the Sun-Times and the Tribune printed his columns.
Books and Characters
Many of Royko's best columns were collected into books. He also wrote a book called Boss. This book was a biography of Richard J. Daley, who was Chicago's mayor for a long time.
Royko often created funny, made-up characters for his columns. One of his most famous characters was Slats Grobnik. Slats was a working-class Chicagoan. Royko would write about Slats and another friend talking about current events in a local bar. Another character was Dr. I. M. Kookie, a funny pseudo-psychiatrist.
Royko also helped make his favorite bar, the Billy Goat Tavern, famous through his columns. He even helped popularize the legend of the curse of the Billy Goat.
Reaching Many Readers
Royko's columns were printed in over 600 newspapers across the country. He wrote more than 7,500 columns in his career. He also wrote many "That's Outrageous!" columns for Reader's Digest. In the 1990s, he started writing more about national topics.
Mike Royko's Life Outside Work
Mike Royko married Carol Duckman in 1954. They had two sons, David and Robert. Carol became very ill and passed away on September 19, 1979. This was also Royko's 47th birthday. He later wrote a very touching column about their relationship. He encouraged readers to always tell the people they love how they feel.
In 1986, Royko married Judy Arndt. She had worked at the Sun-Times. They lived in Chicago and later moved to Winnetka, Illinois. Mike and Judy had two children, Sam and Kate.
A Love for Softball and Baseball
Royko was a huge fan of 16-inch softball. He played the game and sponsored a team. After he passed away, he was inducted into the Chicago 16-inch Softball Hall of Fame. His family said he would have valued this honor as much as his Pulitzer Prize. He once said that hitting a home run in softball was better than winning a Pulitzer.
He was also a lifelong fan of the Chicago Cubs baseball team. Every spring, he would write a "Cubs Quiz" column. It featured tricky questions about old Cubs players. Before the 1990 World Series, he wrote about a funny idea called the "Ex-Cubs Factor". He and another fan predicted that the Oakland Athletics, who had many former Cubs players, would lose to the Cincinnati Reds. The Reds surprisingly won the series, making the "Ex-Cubs Factor" famous.
Mike Royko's Passing
On April 22, 1997, Royko went to the hospital because of chest pains. He later had surgery for a serious health issue. He passed away from heart failure on April 29, 1997, at the age of 64. He is buried in Acacia Mausoleum in Chicago.
Honors and Recognition
- Royko received the National Press Club Lifetime Achievement Award in 1990.
- He also won the Damon Runyon Award in 1995.
- The character played by John Belushi in the 1981 movie Continental Divide was based on Mike Royko.
- An arrival procedure at O'Hare International Airport was named the "Royko Arrival" until 2013.
- In 1983, Mike Royko was given the Order of Lincoln. This is the highest honor from the Governor of Illinois, for his work in communications.
- In 2011, Royko was inducted into the Chicago Literary Hall of Fame.
Books by Mike Royko
- Boss: Richard J. Daley of Chicago (1971)
- Slats Grobnik and Other Friends (1973)
- Sez Who? Sez Me (1982)
- Like I Was Sayin'... (1984)
- Dr. Kookie, You're Right! (1989)
- Hard Driving: My Years with John DeLorean (1992)
- One More Time: The Best of Mike Royko (1999)
- For the Love of Mike: More of the Best of Mike Royko (2001)
See also
- List of newspaper columnists
