Anthony Shadid was the best of all of us.
We just didn't know it then.
We were aspiring college journalists, righteous about our passion.
The countless hours we spent in Vilas Hall, churning out The Daily Cardinal was the infancy of so many of our careers.
We learned how to question, to challenge, to seek answers through fairness and justice.
Some of us dealt with more serious stories than others. And while maybe it romanticizes our years in the late 1980s, I still remember Anthony as our conscience.
Anthony knew the threshold for news. He knew the standard. If Anthony believed in a story, you knew it had merit.
We were equals, all of us thinking we had a shared say.
As I look back, some 20-plus years later, I realize his opinion mattered more-just as it would for so many of his colleagues at the Associated Press, Boston Globe, Washington Post and New York Times.
You can't debate a resume such as Anthony's. His work appeared in the finest publications throughout the world.
His opinion mattered more, because he had the instincts to ferret out a story, the true narrative of real issues.
Anthony's career soared as he tackled the toughest news stories of our time in the Middle East. He knew that to pursue stories in the field, he had to immerse himself in the culture and, of course, the language. Anthony could build a trust with sources because he was so genuine.
We lost touch, as many collegiate colleagues do, though I always followed his career. When I read his dispatches from abroad, I always was so proud and honored to have worked alongside him at The Daily Cardinal.
When he won the second Pulitzer Prize, we reconnected via email. I stood in awe of his accomplishments.
The outpouring of adulation for Anthony since his shocking death has been unprecedented in journalism. Heads of state have recognized his passing.
The universal love for his work and an unbelievable amount of praise for how he respected the craft is deserved.
Journalism mourns his passing. Reporting from the Middle East might never be the same, as it will be impossible to duplicate Anthony's unique approach to storytelling.
I grieve for his family, and also mourn the loss of an iconic figure in American journalism.
He was the best of us. We may have not realized it at the time but there is no debate that we all know it now.
The University of Wisconsin was fortunate to have him.
Every newspaper and wire service was fortunate to have him.
The world was fortunate to have him.
Andy Katz was a Cardinal sports editor in 1988. He graduated from Wisconsin in 1990. He went on to work for the Milwaukee Journal, the Albuquerque Journal, the Fresno Bee and since 1999 has been a senior writer at ESPN.com and ESPN's national college basketball reporter.
Editor's note: Established by alumni and friends, the Anthony Shadid Memorial Fund will be permanently endowed at the University of Wisconsin Foundation. Shadid's family will determine the eventual use of the funds.
More information on the fund and how to contribute is available from the UW Foundation.
