Nashville Songwriter and Former Advertising Executive Collaborate on Missouri Journalism Centennial Song

Q: Why did you decide to use your talents and give back to the School in this particular way?
Schott: I have such fond memories of my time at Mizzou and in the Journalism School, and I am grateful for all the experience and knowledge I gained while I was there. My time there helped to shape who I am. After all that the Journalism School did for me, I'm just thrilled to be able to give back in some way to the centennial celebration.

Q: How did you get involved with writing the song?
Smith: I've been writing songs for some time for commercials for the university and its hospital. I'm very fond of this place and chose to retire back here after having made my living back in Chicago. When Suzette Heiman (director of the centennial/dedication event) was thinking of some special things for the centennial, she knew Jenn and asked if the two of us would like to get together. Jenn's just a delight to work with. We mostly corresponded all through the phone and put her thoughts, my thoughts and Suzette's thoughts together. It was really a group project. It was really easy working with someone like Jenn; she's so open to your ideas, and I try to be to hers. We're enthusiastic about the song.

Q: How would you describe the song?
Smith: It's not a country song. A lot of music being done in Nashville is not country. It's more standard, middle-of-the-road. It's a good way for alumni to be a little emotional, a little nostalgic.

Q: What does it mean to you have written a song that will bring back memories for so many people?
Schott: As a professional songwriter, this is what I always hope for. It's been an honor to work with Jack to create a song that will make people reminisce. I know all J-School alums have a sense of pride in their school, including myself, and our goal in writing this song was to conjure up that feeling, along with gratitude for all the happy memories made while at Mizzou.

Q: Describe the lyrics in the song.
Smith: There will be people from a number of generations coming to the event. We wanted to touch on things they will remember like The Shack. It used to sit on the very site the alumni center sits on now. It's quite a contrast now, The Shack with a green door and the alumni center. The Stein was famous hang out. Showme magazine was a nationally famous magazine put out by many J-School students. It was a little Harvard Lampoon and was extremely popular. The Stables was a jazz hangout on Old 63 just south of Stadium Boulevard. It was wailin' every Saturday morning before games and Sunday afternoons. We also hit on a lot of things that are just timeless, like discovering and following your life's path.

Q: How long did it take you to write the lyrics?
Schott: Jack and I first started discussing ideas for the song more than a year ago. Since we live in different cities (Nashville and Columbia), we e-mailed our ideas back and forth until we came up with the final product.

Q: What did you think about while you were writing this song?
Schott: I thought back to when I was a student at the J-School, from sitting in the classroom to late nights working on projects. I thought about the friendships made, the rich history of the School and the pride that comes along with being a part of something like that. Jack and I talked about symbols that were related to the School, such as "black and gold." We also talked about what all the alums are doing to impact the profession of journalism around the world based on what they learned while at Mizzou.