John Chancellor (July 14, 1927 - 1996) - As anchor of the NBC Nightly News from 1970-1982, Chancellor influenced a generation of reporters. He began his career with the Chicago Sun-Times and soon after began work as a correspondent on NBC's Huntley-Brinkley Report. He is remembered most notably for his coverage of the integration of Little Rock Arkansas, being arrested on the floor of the 1964 Republican Convention, the creator of the Red and Blue states to discuss presidential elections, and as the Emmy winning narrator for the Ken Burns series, Baseball.

Nathan Rabin - Rabin is the Head Writer of The Onion’s entertainment section, The A.V. Club, and author of the popular column "My Year of Flops." He was a regular critic on AMC’s Movie Club With John Ridley in 2004-2005 and co-wrote the interview collection "Tenacity Of The Cockroach." His memoir, published in 2009, is titled "The Big Rewind: A Memoir Brought To You By Pop Culture"

William Russo (June 25, 1928 – 2003) – A legendary composer, musician and educator, Russo’s lasting contributions to jazz and classical music include compositions like Halls of Brass, the rock cantata The Civil War, and Symphony No. 2 in C (TITANS). Russo began composing at the age of 13 and by 1950 was playing and arranging for the legendary Stan Kenton Orchestra. He went on to found the London Jazz Orchestra, The Chicago Jazz Ensemble, and Columbia College’s music department – where he was the college’s first full-time faculty member. Russo was also the Director of Orchestral Studies at Scuola Europea d’Orchestra Jazz in Palermo, Italy. Russo received a Grammy Award for Lifetime Achievement, a career that included more than 200 compositions, over 30 recordings of his work, and three books: Composing for the Jazz Orchestra; Jazz Composition and Orchestration; and Composing Music: A New Approach.