Lonny Cain joined the Northern Star copy desk only three weeks after graduating from West Aurora High School in June 1966.

His heart has never left.

The 35-year friendship began accidentally: The Introduction to Journalism class he had registered for was canceled for lack of enrollment. The instructor, legendary Star adviser Roy Campbell, helped Lonny get a job at the newspaper.

“I was terrified and excited at the same time,” Lonny said.

He stayed on the desk for the fall semester and quickly rose to Copy Editor by the spring term. During his one semester of reporting, he covered the police beat and brags that he “was actually able to get then-Police Chief Jim Elliott to fix tickets in the Star parking lot for us.”

Lonny returned to management for the rest of his Star career, first as city editor and later as editor.

“He championed truth, fairness and accuracy. He clearly understood the who, what and where of each story and, more importantly, the why,” said Thomas Wartowski, a 1971 alum who worked alongside Lonny at the Star and later at the Rockford Morning Star. “It was the ‘why’ that drove Lonny. He knew intellectually and felt deep in the marrow of his bones why journalism was important, why it was important to cover stories, why it was important to write them fairly and accurately.”

After earning his degree in 1970, Lonny’s career took him to the morning and afternoon newspapers in Rockford, the Joliet Herald-News and even back to DeKalb, where from 1980 to 1983 he worked as newsroom supervisor for the Journalism Department’s DeKalb News Service classes: “One of the lowest-paying, greatest jobs I’ve ever had.”

It was here Lonny met his wife, Cindy Wojdyla, who then was an NIU journalism student. The two are celebrating nearly 20 years together and have two sons. Lonny has an older son from his first marriage, which began (where else?) at the Northern Star.

In 1984, Lonny became managing editor of the Ottawa Daily Times and since has provided cub reporting jobs to many young Star grads while keeping active in the Northern Illinois Newspaper Association.

His career has come full- circle now: He’s teaching a Monday night section of J-200 this spring.