Obituaries

Donald Frederick Brod, 92, passed away at his home in St. Charles, Illinois, on October 20, 2024.  He was born in St. Charles, Missouri, on May 10, 1932.  He appreciated the geographic symmetry.

Don spent his youth in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, where he enjoyed participating in sports.  But when he was cut from his high-school basketball team for being too short, he decided that he’d rather write about sports and became a sportswriter for the school newspaper.  He stuck with it even after growing 5 inches and being asked to rejoin the team.  Thus began his long and distinguished career in journalism.

Don earned a bachelor’s degree at Southeast Missouri State University in Cape Girardeau, and a master’s degree at the University of Missouri.  After several years as a reporter/editor for the Montezuma Valley Journal in Cortez, Colorado, he moved into higher education in 1960 with a teaching job at the University of Wisconsin at River Falls.  He earned a doctorate in journalism at the University of Minnesota in 1968.

In 1969, he accepted a position in the Journalism Department at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, where he specialized in media law and journalism history.  He served as department head twice, and he received NIU’s Excellence in Teaching Award in 1987.  Don loved to travel and led several journalism programs in Britain, China, and Germany.

The International Society of Weekly Newspaper Editors moved its headquarters to NIU in 1976, and Don became the organization’s secretary.  He put out ISWNE’s quarterly magazine, Grassroots Editor, which included his column on media law, “Brod’s Law.”

Don retired in 1992 and continued to travel, dine out, and gather with family and friends.  He was the first reader and editor of his wife’s mystery novels.

He was an active member of the Unitarian Universalist Society of Geneva, Illinois, where he found a spiritual home and many friends.  He was the editor and publisher of “Lighting the Chalice,” a history of UUSG’s first 175 years.

Don was passionate about freedom of the press, the importance of facts, and the necessity of staying informed.  He loved the Cubs, the Bears, dad jokes, and a nice glass of single-malt scotch.

Don is survived by his wife, Deborah; two sons, Andrew (Karen) and Stephen (Jan); grandsons James, Meyer, Saul, and Aaron; and his sons’ mother, Nancy Bishop.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Theodore and Carrie Brod.

A celebration of Don’s life will be held at 10 a.m. on November 23rd at the Unitarian Universalist Society of Geneva.  Contributions in Don’s memory may be made to UUSG or Americans United for Separation of Church and State.

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