Alumni

Norman Maclean biography uncovers personal stories of beloved UChicago author

UChicago alumna Rebecca McCarthy, AB'77, wrote a new biography of her professor Norman Maclean. Photo by Clara McCarthy

The late Norman Maclean was many things: the most decorated teacher of undergraduates in UChicago history; author of the first original work of fiction published by the University of Chicago Press; and a sage to literary-minded anglers the world over.

Until now, however, Maclean, PhD’40, was not the subject of a biography. Rebecca McCarthy, AB’77, has changed that with the publication of "Norman Maclean: A Life of Letters and Rivers" (University of Washington Press).

UChicago writer Ling Ma received 2024 MacArthur Fellowship

UChicago alumna Ling Ma returns to campus as an associate professor in January 2025.

Ling Ma, AB’05, an award-winning University of Chicago fiction writer renowned for prose that highlights the similarities between the fantastical and the everyday, has been awarded a 2024 MacArthur Fellowship.

Given each year by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the prestigious grants recognize individuals from across disciplines who show “exceptional originality in and dedication to their creative pursuits.” Fellows receive $800,000 stipends to use as they see fit.

“I am amazed that strangers who have read my work decided to nominate or recommend my fiction,” Ma said. “For someone who spends most of their days alone, that's pretty unbelievable.”

Setting the Scene

From left: Production designer Curt Beech, art director Jordan Jacobs, and Rich Murray, AB'94, with their Emmys for "Only Murders in the Building." (Amy Sussman/Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images)

Growing up in Kankakee, Illinois, Rich Murray was a Star Wars fan—and not just a casual one. He knew the movies beginning to end. He bought the books. And he especially loved the action figures, which he collected diligently and still owns today.

But there was a problem. “Loved the figures,” says Murray, “disliked the play sets”—the plastic backdrops that accompanied the toys. To his exacting eye, they were never quite right and often didn’t function as advertised. So Murray, AB’94, took matters into his own hands, rebuilding the play sets out of cardboard so he could create the perfect scenery for Luke, Leia, and Han’s adventures.

It was, in retrospect, Murray’s very first gig in set design (unpaid, nonunion). In the years since, he’s swapped scissors and cardboard for paint and furniture, but he’s still chasing the same goal: scenery that makes a story feel real.

UChicago Humanities Alum Earns Prestigious Mitchell Scholarship

How do we create a society that no longer sees prisons as a solution?

This is a question that has guided Tommy Hagan, AB’21, in both his personal life and in his academic pursuits at the University of Chicago, from which he graduated with a dual degree in Fundamentals: Issues and Texts and philosophy.

For years, Hagan has worked to abolish prison and foster enduring peace. As a result of his efforts, Hagan, from Ho-Ho-Kus, N.J., has earned a prestigious George J. Mitchell Scholarship. On Nov. 18, he was one of 12 scholars selected from among nearly 350 applicants for the highly competitive program, which recognizes and fosters intellectual achievement, leadership, and a commitment to community and public service.

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