It would be hyperbole to say that working at The Eagle for, pretty much, all of my non-classroom and/or drinking time at AU made what's happened in my life since then happen.
But not by much.
I learned a lot about journalism working at the paper, as a reporter and editor. But I learned so, so much more, about people. How some people need a pat on the back to do their best, and how others need a kick in the butt. How to work with people who had opinions vastly different from mine, and collaborate on behalf of the students we represented. I learned how to work and focus when bone tired mentally and physically, to push through fatigue to get the paper out every week (it came out every Friday, back then).
But oh, how I came to love it.
How I came to love the arguments during editorial discussions. Working with seasoned editors when I was a young reporter, as they made my stories better. Working with young reporters when I was a seasoned editor, and making their stories better. I owed those who’d been patient with me when I was green and just getting started, by paying patience forward. Seeing a great photo from one of our photographers come out of the darkroom. The joy in seeing a story on the front page that you knew, the next day, would have people around campus talking, was indescribable.
I learned that, when you're the boss, people may agree with your decisions. Or, often, disagree with them. But they expect you to make them.
I learned to believe in myself at The Eagle, because people believed in me, and made me see that I could do more, and be more, than I really believed I could. And the confidence I gained during my term as Editor-in-Chief changed what I thought was possible. I liked being a journalist before that year. I had to be a journalist after that year.
If I have 10 real friends in my life, at least half of them are people with whom I worked during my four years on staff. I met my wife at the Editorial Desk. I laughed and argued and lived with fellow staffers, and loved there, and was loved. We “decompressed” after putting that week’s paper to bed at the Chevy Chase Lounge, or the Goalpost, or any number of long-since-shuttered watering holes.
Every Thursday night without fail, someone, getting thirsty, would ask, “when will we be finished?”
“We’ll be finished,” I’d answer, “when we’re finished.”
My life would have been just fine had I gone to another school, or worked at another paper. But the memories I have of American University, and of the people who came into my life at 227 Mary Graydon, are ones that I will cherish the rest of my life.
I like to say I walked into the office my second day on campus, and never really left until graduation day.
That's a bit of an exaggeration.
But not by much.
David Aldridge SOC/B.A. '87 was Editor-in-Chief of The Eagle in 1985-86. He is a senior columnist for The Athletic.
He has worked for more than 30 years covering the NBA and other sports for Turner, ESPN, and The Washington Post. In 2016, he received the Curt Gowdy Media Award from the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and the Legacy Award from the National Association of Black Journalists.
In 2017, he was the recipient of the Neil Kerwin Alumni Achievement Award, which recognizes American University alumni who have distinguished themselves through their professional accomplishments. He lives in Washington, D.C.
