Topic: Biography

We’ll explore the life and times of one of baseball’s most eccentric personalities, Bill Veeck. Many will remember him for all of the wacky things he did to get people to the ball park. But this one-time owner of the Chicago White Sox had a serious impact on the game, introducing innovations we now take for granted. He was also an early advocate for the inclusion of black players. Our guest will be Paul Dickson, author of the new biography "Bill Veeck: Baseball’s Greatest Maverick."

This is a repeat broadcast from Friday, May 11, 2012, 10 am

NPR’s Cokie Roberts shares stories about growing up in a political family. She was in Urbana earlier in the month to speak at this year’s commencement ceremony. Before that, she stopped by our studios to talk about some of her experiences in journalism. As it was the day before Mother’s Day, she told some stories about her Mom, who, like her Dad, was a member of Congress. We also talked about some of the important, yet overlooked women in early American politics.

This interview was recorded on May 12, 2012.

With Robert L. Switzer, Ph,.D. (Professor Emeritus of Biochemistry, University of Illinois)

With Stefan Kanfer (Writer, Editor; Film Critic)

With Wade Davis, Ph.D. (Explorer-in-Residence, National Geographic Society; Anthropologist, Ethnobotanist, Filmmaker)

With Stephen Amidon (Novelist, Essayist, Critic), and Thomas Amidon, M.D. (Cardiologist in Kalispell, Montana)

With Jim Newton (Journalist; Editor at Large, Los Angeles Times and weekly Columnist)

With Robert Morgan (Professor of English, Cornell University)

William Adler (Writer)