For most movie fans, 1983’s “Wargames” posed merely a fun way to devour two hours and some popcorn.

But for Bruce Gill, a 1973 Star alum and 1972’s “Best Damned Reporter,” the tale of a teen techie who hacks into federal government computers and triggers a nuclear scare is not science fiction.

“Right around the time the movie was out, we had a real-life example in Milwaukee. A group of teens used their home computer to break into Department of Defense computers in Los Alamos, N.M.,” Bruce says. “They didn’t cause any damage, but the very fact that they were able to do so caused international interest. I was interviewed by people all over the world. I was on the CBS Morning News with Diane Sawyer.”

Outside that momentary global spotlight, Bruce has concentrated his newspaper career in DeKalb, Decatur and Milwaukee, his home for 25 years. He is senior editor/suburban news at the Journal-Sentinel, leading about 30 reporters and editors.

He enrolled at NIU in 1969, joining the Star in 1971. He was a student of Roy Campbell’s when the Star adviser died.

“I really learned what the business was all about: deadlines, deadline pressure, being a watchdog, fighting for page-one stories,” Bruce says.

“During the spring of 1972, I traveled with George McGovern through Illinois. It was basically just me and a Washington Post reporter,” he adds. “Later that summer, I went to the Democratic National Convention. It was a spectacular experience, and I’ve not been to a convention since. McGovern gave his acceptance speech at 2 or 3 in the morning, and the Star was probably one of the few papers to have the story the next day.”

Bruce also uncovered NIU professors who included books they had written among required texts, pocketing easy royalties.

He later became a teacher himself, grooming Marquette University journalism students for 16 years.

“He has passed along the same lessons of gritty reporting, fairness, accuracy and integrity he learned first from Roy Campbell and later from Jerry Thompson,” classmate Rick Davis says. “No journalist with whom I have worked is more dedicated to (those) traditional journalistic principles.”

Bruce and his wife, Sue, are the parents of Jennifer (Dave) Stell and Amy (Mark) Arnholt and the grandparents of four.