The Indiana Publisher

Page 2 November 2018 Indy Star's Matt Tully remembered as powerful, thoughtful voice in community Maureen C. Gilmer Indianapolis Star Matthew Tully's love affair with journal- ism began when he was 3 years old, sitting on the sofa with his Uncle Rob while the two pored over Chicago-area newspapers. A young Tully studied the comics first before his uncle introduced him to the sports pages. "I remember curling up next to him on the couch and learning how to read by reading stories about the Chicago Cubs with him," Tully wrote in his last published column for IndyStar in June. "About 45 years have passed, but I can tie my deep affection for reading, for newspaper journalism and for the Cubs to those moments." Tully, born in Washington D.C. on Sept. 12, 1969. He died Oct. 29, two years after being diagnosed with stomach cancer. He was 49. He and his wife, Valerie, have a 7-year-old son, Reid. A reporter and columnist for The India- napolis Star since 2002, Tully was raised in Gary and Portage. He graduated from Indiana University and previously worked in Washing- ton, D.C., covering the U.S. Senate for five years. That was a dream job for the political junkie, but when the opportunity came to move back to Indiana, he and his wife were ready. "I'm a Hoosier at heart, to my core," he wrote. Tully is being remembered as a powerful, thoughtful voice in the Indianapolis commu- nity, penning nearly 2,000 columns over the years, frequently taking on politicians, police and others in positions of power. But it was his passion for children and education that sealed his legacy. "The Manual project is what really established him as a columnist," said his longtime editor, Tim Swarens. It was the summer of 2009, the economy was tanking, and the newspaper industry seemed to be going down with it. Tully was wrestling with the idea of changing careers, Swarens said. But he wanted to go out on a high — doing something of real significance. He embedded himself at Manual High School, then a struggling IPS school on the southeast side. He planned to be there for a few weeks, telling the stories of students and staff. A year later, he had taken the school and the community along on an incredible journey filled with heartache and triumph. But it was a Christmas concert that showed not just the spirit of students and not just the love of a community but the power of journalism and the influence of Tully's voice. Spencer Lloyd still gets chills when he remembers that night. Lloyd was the choir director at the school, and Tully had come to know him and his students during his many visits to the school. Lloyd, who now teaches at Madison-Grant High School in Fairmount and at Indiana Wesleyan University, said Tully challenged the community to show they cared for these kids by attending the concert. "It's a great life lesson for everybody," Lloyd said recently. "Matt had the idea — what if we invited all of Indianapolis to come to this Christmas concert? What if the community responds and you change lives?" The community did respond. In a big way. More than 2,000 people jammed the school's lobby and the auditorium. Most had no connection to the school. Lloyd will never forget seeing then-Indiana Supreme Court Justice Randall Shepard taking a seat on the floor along with dozens of other people. So many were turned away that the choir had to put on a second performance. But it didn't stop there: Tully's columns moved IndyStar readers to send in nearly $100,000 in donations to help students and inspired the newspaper to launch its Our Children Our City initiative, a 10-year commitment to address children's issues in the city. Today, the initiative is known as Our Children and funds multiple charitable organizations that feed, educate and mentor youth. "The whole experience I think truly changed the trajectory of some of my students' lives," Lloyd said, "and Matt had a huge part in that." The community's response reinvigorated Tully, who opted to remain in journalism. "This was his passion, and he decided he wanted to stay and invest his life," Swarens said. Tully, who was named Indiana Journalist of the Year in 2008 and won the Casey Medal for Meritorious Journalism in 2010, would later write a book about his experience at Manual: "Searching for Hope: Life at a Failing School in the Heart of America." To read the whole story, visit bit.ly/2D8noqq. Tully

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