Axthelm Awardee: Tim Littau
I am Timothy Littau, a junior at Marquette University double majoring in journalism and digital media. My hometown is Deerfield, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. I am currently an assistant news producer for the Marquette Wire, and I also host a radio show on horse racing and motorsports!
The Pete and Bonnie Axthelm Scholarship is incredibly meaningful to me because of the outstanding and accomplished people that the award is named after. Pete Axthelm’s passion for sports was exceptional, as years of hard work resulted in countless lead stories for Newsweek, biographies of several athletes and commentating on NBC, CBS and ESPN. One of the most popular biographies he wrote was The Kid, about then 18 year old jockey Steve Cauthen, who had just won the Triple Crown with his horse Affirmed. It took a lot of ingenuity to write about the life story of a teenager, but I want to demonstrate that same creativity in my work every day. Pete is someone that I have looked up to for years, as I hope to cover horse racing professionally as well. In addition to covering horse racing on my show with Marquette Radio, this summer I am also thrilled to be working for the Saratoga Special, a newspaper all about horse racing!
Bonnie epitomizes any and every standout leader, getting numerous promotions and rising through the ranks at Media Networks Incorporated and 3M Europe as she guided others to elevate their work. Her leadership is what every leader should strive for, but what so very few are able to attain. I would be extremely fortunate if I could leave a fraction of the impact on my colleagues as she did hers. I strive to make a difference in the workplace as she did. I do not want to only find great success with my own work, but I also want to help others reach extraordinary achievements as well. I hope to inspire my colleagues at Marquette and in my future endeavors to captivate the minds and imagination of our audience through powerful, unique and thoughtful storytelling.
This award is also very personal, as former recipient Aimee Galaszewski and co-recipient Andrew Amouzou are two very remarkable figures and friends in my life. At the Marquette Wire, they embody the guidance and drive that Pete and Bonnie displayed in their work. I am humbled by the Axthelm family to be recognized with an award that places my name along with outstanding former recipients to honor their exceptional family members.
One of my favorite memories at Marquette involves one of the greatest storytellers of all time, Boyd Huppert. Boyd is a news reporter for KARE 11 TV in Minneapolis, and has made fantastic TV stories that have showered him with countless awards. Myself, director of student media Mark Zoromski and other colleagues were fortunate enough to join him on a video call in which we broke down several of his best stories from the prior year. While he is a news reporter, Boyd has told many sports stories, from the professional level to backyard fun. Regardless of stature, one thing that all of his stories share is a distinctive character and angle. And that is what I hope to emulate in all of my work. It was such an amazing experience to see such a talented reporter explain the intricacies of each story; I was left awestruck and inspired.
Five years from now will be here before we know it; time flies especially when we are enjoying what we are doing. I hope to be a broadcaster for horse racing, motorsports, football and so many more sports if I am lucky enough to. There is always a great character and endless passion in all of sports’ astonishing feats and thrilling competition. And I hope to cover as much of it as possible.