Joseph Yapyuco

Jour 61

McCune

Greeted by journalism students singing “Happy Birthday”, a 90-year-old former professor returned to the university where he once taught. Gordon Greb, spoke inside Dwight Bentel Hall at San Jose State University for journalism classes.

Gordon Greb founded the Broadcast Journalism degree program at SJSU in 1957. Some his former students were there to hear him speak, including the professor of the class, Darla Belshe, and Emmy award-winning journalist Valerie Morris.

What he had to say to the students started with a description of his family life. He has been taking care of his grandchildren while his daughter went to work in Chico, just as his mother had done for him while he was working.It was the busy life that journalist’s should expect.

Although a journalist’s life is filled with hard work and learning, Greb tells students not to view it as a chore. Gordon tells an anecdote of how he had to learn French and German to obtain a degree in Stanford. He advised students to “learn by heart”, he explained by saying that you have to love what you are doing.

Gordon then explained a story to show what one can do with their work. He tells of a Supreme Court ruling allowing states to censor movies. In a case defending the movie “The Miracle”, he provides his thesis about censorship to the laywers for the movie. With his help, the Supreme Court made a unanimous decision against the censorship of the movie.

To close, he talked about democracy. He said, “We have to lead by example, not by shoving it down other's throats.” The same can be said about his career; students can look up to it for guidance for their own.