Our Katie is still a winner, it seems

This sketch by nine-year-old Katie Downing was a first place winner in ages 9-10 in a drawing and coloring contest called Visions sponsored by Sidebar, the Beacon Journal employee publication. Children of employees were asked to submit a drawing and statement of what they thought their parents did at the Beacon Journal.

Winners were announced in the July/August 1981 issue of Sidebar and Katie’s was on the cover with her statement:

“My dad rights stories for the Beacon Journal. When he’s told to do something he does it. My dad’s a good reporter”

She probably was correct because Bob is a good reporter who not only “writes” stories but also makes sure they are “right.”

Caitlin M. Downing is now 26 years old. .She attended St. Vincent/St. Mary for three years and graduated as a valedictorian from Firestone High School. She played soccer at both schools.. Caitlin graduated from New York University in 2004.and from Ohio State University's Moritz College of Law in 2007. She is just starting a job with a big law firm in New York City.

Her older brother, Andy, is a freelance rock music writer in Chicago. He writes regularly for the Chicago Tribune where he has a weekly column on local bands. He also writes for Absolute Sound magazine. He really wants to get into this business. Andy went to Ohio U and graduated from the University of Akron. He did a stint at Spin magazine in New York where he hung out frequently with former BJ staffer Chuck Klosterman.

Katie's older sister, Maureen, graduated from Kent State University with a bachelor's degree in biology. She went to Berkeley to study marine biology and ended up with a master's in forensics at the University of Illinois-Chicago. She Is doing DNA research at the University of Chicago while trying to figure out what she wants to do with her degrees.