I'm probably a day late and a dollar short on this one, but I'm really sad that
Archbishop Timothy Dolan will be leaving Milwaukee and heading to New York City. I mean, it's quite an honor for him, don't get me wrong. He will be leading the largest, most high profile archdiocese in the U.S. But Archbishop Dolan did a great job in Milwaukee. He has a great personality, he's likable, personable, humble, and really funny.
I remember the day he was named archbishop. It was huge news, and I was producing a less than huge newscast. Basically, I had to find my own lead stories, because my show was not a prime newscast (I produced the 4PM news at that time; the 5,6 and 10PM are the "big shows."). So I started digging around and found a religion reporter for the newspaper in St. Louis who had covered Dolan while he was the auxilliary bishop there. I talked her into going to a St. Louis TV station so we could do a live interview with her, to learn a little more about this man who would be leading Milwaukee's Catholics. Somehow it all came together and it was a great interview. I received compliments from my managers and anchors that day... something that didn't always happen. It was such a great show that I used it as part of my resume tape for a long time.
I met the archbishop a couple of times. The first was after he had just arrived in Milwaukee. He was there to tape an interview show. He made his way around the newsroom, shaking hands, and introducing himself. He complemented me on the Krispy Kreme paper hat I had at my desk. I told him I was Catholic and that I was honored to meet him. He couldn't have been nicer.
But my favorite memory of Archbishop Dolan comes from the day Pope John Paul II died. I was one of two producers working that afternoon/evening. Normally on big local breaking news days, it was all hands on deck. For some reason, the only extra hands I had that night were an Executive Producer who was on call. On a normal Saturday I would have to produce 2 newscasts, both 30 minutes long. We did extended coverage that day, so I produced an open ended cut-in, an hour at 6 and an hour at 10. It was crazy. We called the office of the Archbishop and invited him to come to our studios to discuss the pope's death. AND HE AGREED! And we were the only station in town to have the Archbishop live on the set discussing this sad, historic occassion. He came early and talked with those of us in the newsroom. It was a challenging day professionally. I was deeply affected by the loss of Pope JPII. He was my pope. I grew up knowing him as the Pope and couldn't fathom him not leading the Church. But I also had a job to do. An important job to deliver the best coverage I could of an historic event. I just remember Archbishop Dolan's larger than life presence as a comfort in the newsroom that night.
There are big shoes to fill here in Milwaukee now! Our loss is most definitely New York's gain! I expect this will not be the highest position Archbishop Dolan holds. I think he is destined for great things in the Church!
The resort has three indoor waterparks, each slightly different.
We made a stop at the State Capitol Building in Madison on the way, just because I've never been there.
Nothing like a little government to spice up a Wednesday morning!
We're definitely going to have to go back to both Madison and the Dells again! Madison to do more exploring and the Dells because it's a great family getaway. Maybe next time we'll go with our extended family!
