Vintage Voices: A look back at Chicago Tribune columns through the years
Dozens of talented columnists have appeared in the Chicago Tribune over the decades, earning the newspaper two Pulitzer Prizes for commentary and two for criticism.
As the Tribune celebrates its 175th anniversary, editors from across the newsroom dug through the archives to offer this small snapshot of Tribune Voices from the past. We also reached out to some columnists who chose their favorites.
[Read our current Tribune Voices]
Is there a columnist from our archives you’d like to read again? Email us with suggestions.
Claudia Cassidy
Claudia Cassidy was a critic who covered dance, music and theater in Chicago from the early 1920s through the 1980s.
‘The Glass Menagerie’ by Tennessee Williams review: Fragile drama holds theater in tight spell
From Dec. 27, 1944
>>> Read more about Claudia Cassidy
Paul Gapp
Paul Gapp was the Tribune’s architecture critic from 1974 to 1992. He won a Pulitzer Prize for criticism in 1979.
Ah, the Picasso. Chicago’s famous symbol came wrapped in intrigue.
From Aug. 9, 1992.
Dahleen Glanton
Dahleen Glanton was a Tribune columnist from 1989 to 2021. She was a 2017 Pulitzer Prize finalist in commentary “for bold, clear columns by a writer who cast aside sacred cows and conventional wisdom to speak powerfully and passionately about politics and race in Chicago and beyond.”
Trump’s video moves women to share stories of sexual abuse. This is mine.
From Oct. 14, 2016
>>> Read more from Dahleen Glanton
Jerome Holtzman
Jerome Holtzman was a baseball columnist at the Tribune from 1981 to 1998. He was inducted into the writers’ wing of the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1989.
The day the sun broke through the fog at Wrigley Field for Ernie Banks, who hit his 500th home run
From Nov. 1, 1987
>>> Read more about Jerome Holtzman
Blair Kamin
Blair Kamin was the Tribune’s architecture critic from 1992 to 2021. He won the Pulitzer Prize for criticism in 1999 “for his lucid coverage of city architecture, including an influential series supporting the development of Chicago’s lakefront area.”
Donald Trump’s sycophantic, vitriolic treatment of architecture critics
From Oct. 7, 2016
>>> Read more from Blair Kamin
John Kass
John Kass worked at the Tribune from 1980 to 2021. He was a 2008 Pulitzer Prize finalist in commentary “for his hard-hitting columns on the abuse of local political power and a lively range of topics in a colorful city.”
A vacation at Daley’s place is anything but relaxing
From Aug. 18, 2011
Ann Landers
Ann Landers brought her already-popular advice column to the Chicago Tribune in 1987. Her last column ran in 2002 after her death.
Ann Landers’ realistic solution for safe sex
From Oct. 24, 1993
>>> Read more from Ann Landers
Mike Royko
Mike Royko was a Tribune columnist from 1984 until 1997. He wrote a column that appeared on Page 3.
Windshield-wiper lets in some light
From Aug. 21, 1987
Mary Schmich
Mary Schmich was a Chicago Tribune columnist from 1992 to 2021. She won the Pulitzer Prize in commentary in 2012 for “her wide range of down-to-earth columns that reflect that character and capture the culture of her famed city.”
Advice, like youth, probably just wasted on the young
From June 1, 1997
>>> Read more from Mary Schmich
Gene Siskel
Gene Siskel wrote more than 5,000 movie reviews for the Tribune from 1969 to 1999.
‘Saturday Night Fever’: 3.5 stars (out of 4)
From Dec. 16, 1977
