11/12/2025
Ellen C. Mosey (1913-1974) wasn’t just the Director of Public Information at Lake Forest College (1957-1974), she was the heartbeat behind a generation of student photojournalists known affectionately as the “Mosey Boys.”
They captured everything from anti-war protests and Kent State vigils to everyday campus life. Some of their names — Ron Pownall, Jonathan Atkin, Mark Hertzberg, Tom Livermore, Steve Logowitz, and more have made their own mark in the field of photography. Multiple were published in the Chicago Tribune and Chicago Sun-Times while still Lake Forest College students.
From her desk in the Public Information Office on the third floor of North Hall, Mosey empowered Foresters with encouragement, access, and real responsibility. She gave them press passes, credit stamps for newspaper submissions, and her signature reminder:
“Use your own imagination. I can’t tell you what picture to take.”
She nurtured young talents like Mark Hertzberg ’72, who went on to become Director of Photography at The Journal Times in Racine, Wisconsin; a role he held for decades. His photos captured our history: civil rights protests, antiwar demonstrations, and the texture of everyday life. Hertzberg still credits Mosey’s mentorship for shaping his career:
“We learned from the generation that preceded us — now it’s our turn to give back.”
Through the Vietnam War, student uprisings, and historic political moments, the Mosey Boys documented it all guided by someone who saw them not just as students, but as storytellers.
Today, their photographs live on in the Lake Forest College Archives and elsewhere. Ellen’s legacy lives in every student who’s ever been mentored with heart, trusted with a camera, and told, “I believe in what you see.”
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