JJC: Alumni Association - Success Story/Jim Ridings

JJC Alumni Association

Alumni Association
Home
Meet Our Staff
Reconnect With JJC

Alumni Action Newsletter
Cwiklo Gift
Student Alumni Association

Alumni Board of Directors
Join the Board of Directors

Alumni Awards
Alumni Achievement Award
Susan H. Wood Award

Alumni Events:
Scholarship Workshop
Comedy Night
Donor Recognition Dinner
27th Annual Brunch
Trees for Tomorrow
JJC Outstanding Athletes
Success Story Series
Travel Tours

Support/Services:
Alumni Scholarships
Making a Gift/JJC Foundation
Alumni Benefits
Annual Appeal
Stay in Touch
Transcripts
Important Campus Numbers

Jim Ridings spoke to JJC students about his success in journalism on Wednesday, October 25, 2006

Jim Ridings was born in Joliet in 1950. After graduating from Providence Catholic High School in 1968, he attended Joliet Junior College and received his AA degree in 1971. After working for several years to earn money for college, he went to Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, where he was editorial page editor of The Daily Egyptian. He received a bachelor's degree in Journalism from SIU in 1976.

He worked for The Daily Times in Ottawa for several years, winning several awards for Investigative Reporting from the Associated Press and United Press International. Ridings then worked for The Beacon News in Aurora, where his work won several more awards for Investigative Reporting from AP, UPI and other groups.

Ridings has written and published a dozen books on Illinois history. His "County West" book on the history of Western Kankakee County won a special award from the Illinois State Historical Society in 2004. His latest book is an acclaimed history of the area coal mining ghost town of Cardiff, Illinois.

Ridings and his wife Janet live in Herscher, Illinois, and have two daughters, Stephanie and Laura. Read transcript of Jim's speech PDF

Hit Counter