The Rebel Yell remembers
Mike Zigler 1979-2009

October 22, 2009 by Maria Roncal 

Former editor-in-chief of The Rebel Yell dies, friends and colleagues commemorate his undergraduate and professional achievements

I spend a ridiculous number of hours at The Rebel Yell office, especially on our production days: Sundays and Wednesdays. Here, I’m surrounded by the most insane, wacky, high-pitched voiced people.

We scream with horror when a writer uses a word incorrectly, make each other laugh with cheesy pun-ed headlines and collectively (yet affectionately) roll our eyes every time our managing editor expresses her love for all things related to India.

My co-workers are weird and sometimes really awkward, but they always impress with their work ethic, brilliance and creativity.

It will be sad to say goodbye to them once we move on to the real world, but I’m excited to see where we’ll end up after we graduate. I know it’ll be somewhere worthy of an epic high-five.

It’s the support, understanding and respect shared between us that make even the most stressful 12-hour production day pleasant.

That kind of camaraderie dates back to editorial staffs many volumes before ours.

Case in point: the friendship between former opinion editor David Himmel and former editor-in-chief, the late Mike Zigler.

I got the chance to meet with Himmel and Chris Gallant, another close friend of Zigler’s, and former graphic artist of The Yell.

They walked into our office on production day, and as we looked over the issues they produced nearly 10 years ago, we gawked at the CSUN stories they wrote while we were still in grade school.

We listened and laughed as Himmel and Gallant gushed with nostalgic flashbacks and proudly pointed out Zigler’s bylines. “You guys are going to make me cry looking at these,” Himmel said.

Zigler, Himmel’s best friend of 10 years, died on Oct. 16.
He was 29.

The Rebel Yell brought the two together. “He started writing because of me,” said Himmel of Zigler’s beginnings at the paper.

“He read an article I wrote and said, ‘I could write better than that. This is crap.’ And he was probably right.”

“We wrote together and our desks were right next to each other. We hung out all the time and had so many adventures not fit to print,” Himmel said.

“We loved each other as much as two heterosexual men can love each other without crossing a line.”

Zigler’s talent and drive led him up the ranks through the paper. In 1999, he started as a staff writer and by 2001 he was editor-in-chief.

Associate professor Mary Hausch revered Zigler’s talent, saying, “Mike was a student of mine and I was the adviser to the RY while he was the editor.”

“Mike was one of the best editors I ever worked with. He was conscientious and dedicated to practicing the profession with the utmost integrity.”

His skills weren’t only revered by those in journalism, but others on campus like Rebecca Mills, who was vice president of Student Life when Zigler was editor.

Mills commented on his talent, saying, “Mike was an outstanding editor of the Rebel Yell…I found him to be relentless in his pursuit of information but respectful of a variety of perspectives…”

She added that he taught her respect for those in the media, “From my interactions with him, I learned to be well-prepared for an interview and he reinforced the respect I have for true professionals in journalism.”

Paul Moradkhan, who served as student body president during Zigler’s tenure as editor, also held Zigler’s position in high regards.

“Mike and I had a great relationship. We really respected each other and the different way were advocates for students.”

“He was a defining part of my college experience; I’m glad to have known Mike as a student, [alumnus] and friend,” Moradkhan said.

“He was a brilliant writer and designer, a creative genius. He served on the Urban Affairs Alumni Association Board and he was a big part of their success…”

Former UNLV president Carol C. Harter remembers Zigler as “a wonderful young man, tough journalist, caring guy…one of the best of the Yell’s editors.”

After he graduated, Zigler continued to excel in the industry as the news editor at CityLife, the editor of the political magazine Liberty Watch and as the director of communications at MGM, where he and Himmel also worked together.

Himmel recalls his work ethic and fun-loving nature, “We had late nights at The Rebel Yell, at MGM and on the weekends just boozing it up. He became an absolute best friend.”

“We were very supportive of each other’s careers and successes,” said Himmel, who worked in radio after graduation.

“Mike would listen to me everyday on air while he drove to work, and every week I’d read his cover story in CityLife.”

Hausch met with Zigler last week at the Greenspun College homecoming week alumni reception, “…it was a pleasure to visit with him and hear about things he was doing in his career.

Mike loved being a graduate of UNLV and was a passionate supporter of our school and the university.”

The community built in a newsroom is unmatchable and remains strong after graduation. Himmel still recalls his Rebel Yell and post-college days with Zigler with laughs and swear words more affectionate than the typical terms of endearment.

“I’ve got a lot of good friends and a lot people who know me, but Mike understood me the most,” Himmel said. “He understood, loved and forgave me. The fact that he isn’t there anymore is just crushing.”

Gallant called Zigler the “mother hen” of the newsroom. He said everyone shared a connection with Zigler and was respected by all. He was known as many things: journalist, director and friend. But he will always be remembered by everyone as a selfless man with a good heart.