Overview

In this deeply personal memoir, Don Wycliff reflects on the unlikely path that carried him from a segregated childhood in East Texas to the editorial boards of some of America's most influential newspapers. Born in 1946 to devout Black Catholic parents who instilled in him resilience, faith, and ambition, Wycliff was part of a generation that came of age during the Civil Rights Movement and the nation's slow march toward equality. The book traces his journey through transformative moments: winning a scholarship to the University of Notre Dame, living through the assassination of Fred Hampton and the Black Panther raid in Chicago, and discovering the power of journalism to reveal truth and hold power accountable. More than a chronicle of a journalist's life, Before the Byline is a meditation on family, faith, race, and democracy. It explores how one man's roots-in community, in church, and in history-nurtured a calling to tell stories that matter and to fight for a more inclusive America.

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Reviews

""Don Wycliff has written a rich memoir about one black family's life in the American heartland in the 1950s and 1960s, a time of great promise and peril. Before the Byline tells the story of a child from a family of modest means that criss-crosses the heartland from Texas to Kentucky, getting lifted along the way by friends, mentors and family members who show courage and compassion and optimism. Don, the second of nine children of the Wycliff clan, is inspired to seek an education at one of the nation's pre-eminent universities and to achieve a long career of purpose and accomplishment. This is a book that will encourage anyone who believes in following a dream, and in the power to help others achieve their own dreams."" Bruce Dold, former editor and publisher of the Chicago Tribune, and a Pulitzer Prize winner. ""I loved every page of Don Wycliff's riveting coming-of-age memoir. In eloquent, clear writing, he creates a vivid portrait of his early years, from growing up Black and Catholic in the segregated South to making his way to the University of Notre Dame and the University of Chicago. It's a remarkable, inspiring story, set against the backdrop of the 20th Century's racial revolution. In short, Before the Byline is a testament to the power of family, friends, education, and a young man's resolve. It will open your eyes and your heart, and it will leave you wanting the sequel-about how Don Wycliff, one of nine kids in a family without much money, became one of the most admired journalists of his generation."" Mary Schmich, former columnist for the Chicago Tribune, and a Pulitzer Prize winner. ""I know Don Wycliff as an esteemed journalist, columnist and civic leader, but his book Before the Byline reveals him as a gifted memoirist. His story includes his family's beginnings in East Texas and Ashland, Kentucky, the daily choices of his parents, Wilbert and Emily Wycliff, his growing up as a Black Catholic to being educated at Notre Dame and excelling in the newsrooms of The New York Times and the Chicago Tribune. His is an American story rooted in the Great Migration. A must read, Before the Byline reminds us that journalism, at its best, is a calling of conscience and courage."" Julieanna L. Richardson, Founder & President, The HistoryMakers

Author Information

Don Wycliff has spent a lifetime in journalism, shaping public conversation at some of the nation's most influential newspapers. Born in Liberty, Texas, he graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 1969 and launched his reporting career at the Houston Post. He went on to serve on The New York Times editorial board and later led the Chicago Tribune's editorial page, where his leadership helped earn a Pulitzer Prize. A columnist, teacher, and mentor, Wycliff continues to be recognized as a leading voice in American journalism.

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