MPR News editor-at-large and retired host Gary Eichten has worn many hats during his 40-plus-year career at Minnesota Public Radio, including news director, special events producer and station manager. He has served as host for Minnesota Public Radio's live, special events news coverage, and has hosted all of the major news programs on Minnesota Public Radio, including Midday, which he hosted for more than 20 years.
A graduate of St. John's University in Collegeville, Minnesota, Eichten began his career at Minnesota Public Radio as a student announcer at KSJR (Minnesota Public Radio's first station). Among the honors Eichten has received during his career is the Corporation for Public Broadcasting award for best local news program. He also assisted in the development of two Peabody award-winning documentaries. In 2007, he was inducted into the Pavek Museum of Broadcasting's Hall of Fame. Eichten has also been awarded the prestigious 2011 Graven Award by the Premack Public Affairs Journalism Awards Board for his contribution to excellence in the journalism profession.
October 11, 2002 - On October 15, 1852, the first train of the Chicago and Rock Island Railroad traveled from Chicago to Joliet, Illinois. Two years later it would bring a delegation of East Coast journalists and dignitaries to the Mississippi River as part of the Grand Excursion to Minnesota. Over the next 50 years, as the Rock Island Line grew, it carried passengers and freight through 14 states and became part of the story of the American west. Then it inspired a song that has been passed from generation to generation. Learn the story of the railroad.
October 9, 2002 - Pulitzer Prize-winning author and former New York Times columnist Anthony Lewis spoke in Minneapolis last night about terrorism, freedom and civil liberties.
October 3, 2002 - U.S. Senator Paul Wellstone on the Senate floor, said he will not support the Bush administration's desire to take unilateral military action against Iraq. We'll hear his position as the Senate is expected to begin formal debate of the Iraq resolution later today.
September 25, 2002 - Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times reporter Judith Miller, author of the best-selling book, Germs: Biological Weapons and America's Secret War" and Michael Osterholm, director of the University of Minnesota's Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy. He is author of "Living Terrors: What America Needs to Know to Survive the Coming Bio-Terrorist Catastrophe." They participated in the "Great Conversations" series sponsored by the U of M College of Continuing Education.
September 23, 2002 - MPR's "Meet the Candidates" series with Paul Wellstone, U.S. Senator discussing re-election campaign issues.
September 20, 2002 - New York Times foreign affairs columnist Thomas Friedman's Twin Cities speech The World After September 11th. He spoke at Temple Israel in Minneapolis Thursday night.
August 29, 2002 - Susan Gaertner, Ramsey County attorney; and Amy Klobuchar, Hennepin County attorney in a live broadcast from the Minnesota State Fair. Ramsey and Hennepin County Attorneys talk about legal affairs in the Twin Cities including police brutality, racism and the police shooting and subsequent riot in North Minneapolis.
August 21, 2002 - Syndicated columnist and award-winning author Richard Reeves speaking about Richard Nixon's presidency.
August 14, 2002 - MPR series "Voices of Minnesota" features interviews with World War II military veterans Avis Schorer and Ken Porwoll.
August 6, 2002 - Ed Lotterman, a consulting economist; and Jeanne Boeh, chair of the economics department at Augsburg College in Mpls, discuss President Bush signing "fast track" trade legislation and its implications for the US economy.