Bill Sheridan

Family ties

Towson magazine, winter 2007: At Big Brothers Big Sisters, Robin Tomechko, a 1986 Towson University graduate, turns the vision of helping a child into an everyday reality. Here's a blurb of the article I wrote about Tomechko for Towson magazine.

Robin Tomechko's organization helped 1,750 at-risk children in the Baltimore area last year, a 483 percent increase since she took her job eight years ago. So why isn't she satisfied?

"Our goal is to serve 2,000 kids this year," says Tomechko, president and CEO of Baltimore-based Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Maryland. "But when I look at the statistics and see that there are 60,000 kids in this area who are at risk and need these types of services, serving 2,000 doesn't say much to me. If we could serve 5,000 or 6,000, that would be at least the tip of the iceberg."

• Download a PDF of the article in its entirety.

Strike up the band

Towson magazine, fall 2006: This was an interesting assignment about Robert Carnochan, a Towson University graduate and director of the Texas Longhorns Band. Here's a blurb:

If college football had a Hit Parade, "Texas Fight" would be in the Top 10. The rousing anthem is one of the most recognizable fight songs in the country, with good reason: It's played every time the Texas Longhorsn score, and these days, those scores are coming in bushels.

• Download a PDF of the article in its entirety.

Check, please

Towson magazine, summer 2006: This was a fun article to write. It's about professional lacrosse, and it appeared in the summer 2006 edition of Towson, the alumni magazine of Towson University in Maryland. Here's a summary:

Huge contracts, mammoth signing bonuses, endorsement deals, fame, power, glory -- today's professional athletes have it all. Right, Hunter Lochte?

"I think my contract is for $6,000 for the summer," the 2004 Towson University graduate says, "provided I suit up for every game."

• Download a PDF of the article in its entirety.

Saving our breath

Towson magazine, winter 2006: Here's an article I wrote for the winter 2006 edition of Towson, the alumni magazine of Towson University in Maryland. It's a profile of Stephen Peregoy, president and CEO of the American Lung Association in Maryland. Here's a blurb:

Twenty percent of Marylanders smoke. Twelve percent have asthma. By some estimates, more than 20 percent of Marylanders are directly affected by some sort of lung-related illness. And fully 100 percent of them must cope with some of the worst air quality in the nation. By all accounts, Stephen Peregoy has his hands full.

• Download a PDF of the article in its entirety.

Air time

Towson magazine, fall 2005: I wrote this profile of Tampa Bay Devil Rays broadcaster Andy Freed for the Fall 2005 edition of Towson, the alumni magazine for Towson University in Maryland. Here's a brief summary:

Like many kids his age, 8-year-old Andy Freed was nuts for baseball. Unlike most kids his age, Andy's heroes weren't on the field. They were in the broadcast booth.

• Download a PDF of the article in its entirety.

White House witness

Towson magazine, summer 2004: This article was the cover story for the Summer 2004 edition of Towson, the alumni magazine for Towson University in Maryland. Here's a summary:

Nothing's off the record in Martha Joynt Kumar's class. The Towson University professor has taken one of academia's most unique jobs -- she is perhaps the world's leading expert on the relationship between American presidents and the White House press corps -- and turned it into one of the university's most noteworthy courses.

• Download a PDF of the article in its entirety.