By Paul Fultz
In celebration of the 100th anniversary of its student newspaper, the University of Louisville held a public talk Feb. 27 honoring the centennial.
The Louisville Cardinal is turning 100 in 2026, and when some of the publication’s alumni heard the news they could scarcely believe their ears.
“It’s hard to imagine so many years have passed, both since I worked there and since it first started,” said George Taylor, the paper’s Editor-in-Chief in 1993-94. “The Cardinal means a lot to all of us. And it looks like we have several generations of journalists here today, which is nice to see.”
“Today we are celebrating The Cardinal and its long history” said Kandi Walker, Chair of UofL’s Communication department. “We’re going to talk about the work they’re doing and how students are engaged. We’re very excited. It’s the 100th anniversary of The Cardinal!”
“I had no idea there was such a big milestone this year,” said John Justus, the paper’sAdvertising Manager in the mid ‘90s. “We’re very grateful to UofL for getting the news out and for having this wonderful get together.”
Entitled “Honoring 100 Years Of Campus Journalism,” the event was held in UofL’s Ekstrom Library, room W104, at 1:00 pm. It was presented by The Louisville Cardinal, the UofL Dept. of Communication, and UofL Archives and Special Collections.
Speakers included Ralph Merkel, The Cardinal’s adviser for the past 13 years and a UofL Communication instructor, and its current Editor-in-Chief Jai’Michael Anderson. Merkel introduced Anderson, who played a self-produced video about The Cardinal’s past, present, and future.
“The publication has been a vital stepping stone for a long line of successful storytellers and has every intention of continuing to do so,” Anderson said in the video. He noted that it “now exists solely online, and is looking to embark on a new age of digital storytelling.”
“And you can help,” he said. “Support voices of The Louisville Cardinal so that we can preserve the rich history of this publication and see a second century of valuable student reporting. Let UofL’s student voice be as loud as it’s ever been in this changing media landscape.”
Merkel said The Cardinal has survived despite having its financial support from UofL cut several times during the past decade by various leaders who are no longer with the University, and he’s optimistic that the publication will continue to thrive.
Both Merkel and Walker were pleased to see former members of UofL’s independent student newspaper in the audience.
“We have some alumni from The Cardinal today, it’s really great you’re here,” she said. “We’re going to ask if we can interview you for some stories so we can incorporate that into the work we’re doing now.”
“I am fascinated by this back row filled with alums” Merkel remarked before asking them to share their experiences. Taylor said while producing the paper was rewarding, it was also a very labor intensive process in the 1990s.
“Our offices had no windows, and we would lose track of time,” he said. “It would be daylight when we got there and when we finally left we’d realize it was 12 hours later and it was dark. We did this for years. And when you work with people that closely for that long, you become a family.”
Nick Waller worked for The Cardinal from 1988-94 in a variety of roles, including Managing Editor, Sports Editor, and Copy Editor. He also said the long hours and intense work atmosphere created a unique bonding experience.
“I will never forget there was one editor who worked there so much he practically lived there,” Waller said. “And one afternoon he woke up on the couch, rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, called the Bursar’s Office and said ‘Could you please tell me what classes I’m signed up for so I can go drop them?’”
Waller started working for the paper after responding to an ad looking for writers. “I wrote one story, about the UofL baseball team, and when I went in the next week they said the two sports editors have quit, congratulations, you’re promoted. That’s how I became sports editor in my second week, and I stuck around for a long time after that.”
Anderson said while he’s thankful technology has made producing a student news publication less time consuming, he sometimes strives to create the type of camaraderie past staffs shared.
“The one thing that’s really sticking out is you are all close and connected, it seems,” he said. “I’ve taken classes with and am friends with most of the staff, but others I don’t know as well. So that’s the one thing I’ve been trying to emphasize in our news room, bridging those connections.”
The event also featured remarks from University Archivist Carrie Daniels, who spoke about UofL’s exhibit celebrating the centennial. A selection of issues from the past century is on display, and the exhibit is free and open to the public through the end of 2026. For more details and photos, see https://lcag.site/2026/03/10/the-cardinals-100th/ and https://lcag.site/2026/03/10/exhibit-photos/
The Louisville Cardinal was founded in 1926 as an independent student newspaper, reporting on student life without editorial interference by the University. All editorial decisions are made by student journalists, a policy that continues to the present day.
The Cardinal has been online only since 2020. It was rebranded as an independent student news source and can be found at www.louisvillecardinal.com
Photo: The Cardinal’s Adviser Ralph Merkel watches as current Editor-in-Chief Jai’Michael Anderson speaks at a Feb. 27 event celebrating the publication’s 100th anniversary.
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