CHECKING EVERY WORD
Catching misplaced commas, modifiers, and apostrophes takes a scrupulous eye. For three decades, Byron Bronk has read every word printed in this award-winning alumni magazine. Not a small task when you consider he’s outlasted eight editors, four deans, and four BYU basketball coaches.
“I’ve been proud to be involved with a publication devoted to business ethics and sound management principles,” says Bronk, who joined BYU in 1976. “The moral focus of the Marriott School has been a large part of what has made my professional career so satisfying and fulfilling.”
Bronk was singled out for the position when the business school’s alumni magazine—then called Exchange—started about the same time he did. BYU Publications and Graphics Director Norman Darais knew Bronk had earned a business minor in addition to a journalism graduate degree at the University of Utah. Bronk earned his undergraduate degree at BYU and served as editor of Y News, the university’s internal newsletter, for seventeen years. He also spent a few years as special sections editor for the Deseret News and The Salt Lake Tribune before returning to BYU.
But life isn’t all about red pens and style guides for Bronk, who tinkers not only with words but also machines. He’s the owner of a 1913 Model T Ford and a 1908 Oldsmobile—cars so rare that driving them is a risk rarely taken. Bronk is also a bluegrass performer—a hobby that helped him through college.
“I’m hoping to be reading Marriott School publications from the perspective of a retiree one of these days,” Bronk admits. “My Model T is running great, but the transmission of the 1908 Oldsmobile is stuck in second gear, so there’s that to deal with. We’ll see what happens when I get there.”
