Alumni Spotlight

Bill Ruthhart, class of 1998, is the Writing Coach and Editor for Career Programs at The New York Times, a position he has held since January 2022. Based in New York, he is responsible for supporting programs that help identify and develop the next generation of the nation's top journalists. This includes training, coaching and editing the Times's 30-plus newsroom fellows, early-career journalists who spend a year detailed to an array of desks and assignments at the Times.  
 
Prior to joining the Times, Bill spent nearly 20 years as a reporter covering politics and government. In more than 11 years at the Chicago Tribune, he investigated state government, covered much of Mayor Rahm Emanuel's two terms as mayor of Chicago and covered the 2020 presidential race. Prior to that, Bill covered state government and politics at The Indianapolis Star, writing about the governor, state legislature and the 2008 presidential race. Bill started his journalism career interning at The Rock Island Argus/Dispatch.
 
Bill was named the best government reporter in Illinois and Indiana on multiple occasions and twice was awarded the top investigative reporting award from the Chicago Headline Club, among other honors. Bill lives in Maplewood, N.J. with his wife Adrianne, their two daughters, May and Claire, and two basset hounds, Ernie and Walter. 
 
What inspired you to pursue your career?
 My father, Roger, definitely was a major influence. He was the longtime managing editor of the Argus/Dispatch. I learned a lot just through dinner table discussions and following current events and the news, which was a constant in our house. When it came time to pick a major, I chose journalism because I thought it might be fun to be a sports reporter. I attended Eastern Illinois, which has a great student media and journalism program, and I got a ton of experience early on in my collegiate career. 
 
How do you think your time at Rock Island High School helped prepare you for success in your professional pursuits? 
 At Rocky, I learned that there were no shortcuts and that hard work pays off. Yes, it's cliche, but it's true. If I wanted to get A's, I had to study. If I wanted to play baseball, I had to work out and practice -- a lot. I got to participate in a lot of extracurricular activities and try a lot of different things, so I could find out what interested me and where I excelled. I really gravitated toward my English classes, and I enjoyed participating in putting out the yearbook and the Crimson Crier. 
 
The great diversity of Rocky's student body also really prepared me for life in ways that some others had not experienced when they first stepped onto a college campus or into their first jobs. Without realizing it at the time, Rock Island schools taught me how to interact with students from all kinds of different ethnic, racial, and socioeconomic backgrounds. That really prepared me to build relationships with a wide array of people in my professional life as a journalist. 
 
Do you have any advice for current students or young alumni who are interested in pursuing a career in journalism? 
 Yes. Read a lot. It's hard to be a great writer, reporter, or editor without reading the great work of others. Follow the news and current events. Know what is going on in the world. And perhaps most of all, be endlessly curious. Don't just watch what's happening around you and shrug your shoulders. Ask why it's happening. Who is making the decisions? What is the result? Who is benefitting? Is there a better way? The best journalists never stop learning and never stop asking questions. 
 
Do you have any favorite teachers, coaches, or club supervisors from your time at Rocky? 
 Yes, probably too many to list! Here are a few: 

 
Baseball coach (and gym teacher) Gary Bender probably had the greatest influence on me. I wasn't the best baseball player, but I learned a lot from Coach B -- especially from his mantra "Attitude is Everything." I always keep that in mind when I encounter a difficult situation, and try to maintain a positive outlook and a good attitude. We had some great teams at Rocky, and I saw firsthand what it took to work hard as a team and succeed, lessons -- and friendships -- I have carried with me since.
 
Shirley Perkins also had a big influence on my life as a student. I took her AP English my junior year, and she was tough! I didn't truly learn how to write an excellent essay until I took her class. We read some difficult classics in her class, but she brought such enthusiasm and made each book exciting in her unique way. She really connected with her students, who in turn were loyal and tried their best, because no one wanted to disappoint Mrs. Perkins! 
 
David Wood also was an excellent teacher. Math was not my strong suit (and probably a reason why I went into journalism!), but Mr. Wood had such a creative way of teaching it. I had him for Statistics class, and he used various games (Black Jack, craps, etc.) to teach us about odds and statistics. I learned a lot about calculating percentages and reading statistics that I use often in my daily work as a journalist.  
 
Andy Gray was a fantastic art teacher -- and baseball coach. Much like math, I wasn't great at art. OK, I was awful at art. But that was OK. Coach Gray made art accessible to everyone, no matter their skill level. I also really appreciated that even as a teacher, Coach Gray never stopped creating art. He was always working on some awesome charcoal drawings of Michael Jordan, etc. He showed students you could always keep pursuing what you love to do, whether it was art or baseball.