ABC7's Roz Varon at the Chicago Auto Show 2018

The Chicago Auto Show runs February 9-18 at Chicago's McCormick Place and I will be "On the Beat" as usual. Since vehicles are not the only part of the auto show, I am featuring some of my favorite celebrities from last year's show.
ABC TV Chicago's Roz Varon was one of the people I most wanted to meet. I had previously worked with Roz on a few different projects in my past life at Lerner Newspapers, but we never actually met. I wrote about one of those projects at Roz Varon Salutes Literacy.
Roz was one of the many celebrity spokespeople for a ad series I ran promoting literacy. Roz graciously accepted my request and her ad was one of the most popular in the series.
Roz's battle with cancer is widely known and her courage and strength has served as an inspiration for all. I witnessed some of this as I approached her at the CAS. Several woman were talking to Roz about their similar battles. The love seen was powerful and almost overwhelming. Roz was very loving with them, giving them warm hugs before moving on.
My meeting with Roz was far less serious, but she gave me her time and consideration, just the same. I presented her with another copy of her ad from way back just to remind her. Of course, she remembered and thanked me for including her. We talked for a few minutes before the line of fans forced me to end our chat.
Thank you to Roz Varon for her time, for being so sweet and for serving as an example of grace, strength and perseverance in the awful battle against cancer. Thank you to the fine folks at the CAS for the hospitality.
Go to ChicagoAutoShow.com for more info. You can also follow the Chicago Auto Show on Facebook and the Chicago Auto Show on twitter for updates, scheduling and more info.

Roz Varon and me in Chicago, IL-February 2018.

Roz Varon Salutes Literacy

This is a sporadic series which allows me to wax nostalgic on a series of ads I ran for the Newspaper In Education program while I was at Lerner Newspapers.

When I was selecting celebrities to pursue as spokespeople for the NIE ad series, I was always looking for big Chicago names.  At the time, Roz Varon had over 20 years of radio and television exposure in the Chicago area (and she is still going strong).
Varon is perhaps most known for her work in traffic reporting, but she has also been a news reporter, as well as a radio and tv host.  She is very well known to Chicago tv viewers and radio listeners of all ages.
I was proud to get Varon, because of her Chicago fame, but also because she was born and raised here and has never strayed (although she has appeared on national programming).  Plus, I was a big fan (still am).  Adding all of these factors makes Varon the perfect spokesperson for the literacy campaign.  I have never had the pleasure of meeting her, but from all accounts, she is very nice.
Shortly after the ad ran, it was announced that Varon had breast cancer.  Fortunately, years later, she is a breast cancer survivor!

Reading can take you places beyond your wildest imagination.
--Roz Varon as quoted in the NIE ad series in Lerner Newspapers in 2004.