By Rachel Konieczny
News Editor
Dan Barry ’80, a The New York Times columnist, will return to Bonaventure on Monday to speak with students on the profession of journalism.
Barry, a 1994 Pulitzer Prize winner for his series of articles on Rhode Island’s court system, was announced as the keynote address speaker at the May 15 commencement ceremony.
Patrick Vecchio, lecturer of journalism and mass communication, initially thought of bringing Barry to campus after emailing Barry with questions on his pieces for his writing classes to discuss.
“Late last semester, I emailed him to ask if he would have time to come speak in my classes if he ever found himself in Western New York,” Vecchio said. “I really didn’t think he would because he’s got a full-time job at The New York Times and was working on his new book too. In one of his typically quick responses, he said he would.”
Vecchio, who has his students read Barry’s work each semester, said he felt like he “won the Powerball” when Barry agreed to visit campus.
Barry will spend the morning and afternoon speaking to journalism and mass communication classes and will be available from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. in the Hall of Fame room in the Reilly Center for additional students and faculty who wish to meet with him.
Students of all majors will also have the opportunity to encounter Barry’s work with the All Bonaventure Reads committee’s selection of his book, “The Boys in the Bunkhouse: Servitude and Salvation in the Heartland,” set to be released on May 17, for its 2016-2017 read.
Jessica Stender, a senior journalism and mass communication major, said she is excited to hear Barry speak.
“Listening to former Bonnies students that have made it big in journalism is something that I find super interesting and makes me feel that graduating won’t be so scary,” Stender said.
Vecchio said he hopes students will have a greater appreciation for the power of words after listening to Barry’s presentation.
“I’m hoping Dan’s visit here will cause some students to try to emulate him—his voice, his style,” Vecchio said. “I hope it will help them realize that you can get there from here—‘here’ being St. Bonaventure and ‘there’ being the very biggest of the big leagues, The New York Times. If those two things happen, it will be great.”
Vecchio said discovering Barry’s writing and getting to know him has been one of the greatest privileges he has had while teaching at Bonaventure.
“When I talked to him on the phone about this visit, the first thing he said was, ‘I’m a proud graduate of St. Bonaventure.’ What a treat it is for our students to be able to meet him and learn from what he has to say,” Vecchio said.
koniecrc14@bonaventure.edu
