The Eastern Echo Hall of Fame committee announced today that three new inductees will be honored April 2 during the 2026 student gala hosted by The Eastern Echo staff.
The 2026 Hall of Fame inductees are Axios business reporter Nathan Bomey; former Echo advisor and art gallery owner Sally Day Wright; and Larry O’Connor, a longtime Michigan sports and news reporter.
"Working for The Eastern Echo has long been a springboard toward a wide range of professional careers, and The Eastern Echo 2026 Hall of Fame class proves that once again," selection committee chairperson Kevin Allen said. "This year's group includes people who serve the public today as a national reporter, a schoolteacher and an artist."
Launched in 2023, The Eastern Echo Hall of Fame honors former Echo staff members who have made significant contributions to the field of journalism, exhibiting excellence in their work and unwavering commitment to truth and integrity. Allen, a longtime sportswriter for USA Today, was the first inductee. This year’s class brings the membership to eight.
“The Eastern Echo is excited to present the 2026 Student Media Gala, celebrating the achievements of our student journalists and honoring four exceptional Hall of Fame inductees,” Echo Editor-in-Chief Natalie Kyle said. “Each inductee has excelled in their career and their lasting impact on the media industry sets the standard for us all.”
The 2026 inductees are:
Nathan Bomey, author of “Detroit Resurrected: To Bankruptcy and Back,” worked his way from reporter to managing editor for The Eastern Echo before graduating from Eastern Michigan University in 2006.
Now a business reporter for Axios, Bomey previously reported for the Ann Arbor Business Review, Ann Arbor.com, the Detroit Free Press and USA Today. He has authored three nonfiction books and created an award-winning documentary on the Detroit bankruptcy.
Sally Wright Day served as editor-in-chief of The Echo from 1981-82. Her career included reporting for the Livingston County Press and serving as a news editor for MSN News.
Additionally, from 1987-1990, Day served as the college media advisor at Eastern and created a bootcamp for college journalists.
She became managing editor of EMU’s Faculty Center for Instructional Excellence in 1988 and was named executive editor in 1992. From 2003-12, Day served as an assistant editor at the Ann Arbor Observer before going to work as news editor for MSN. After retiring, Day opened her own design, editing and art company.
Larry O’Connor served as The Eastern Echo sports editor from 1982-84. Over the following 40 years, he worked at news publications across Michigan, including 11 years as a web producer and copy editor at The Detroit News.
That work also included feature and government reporting for The Observer and Eccentric Newspaper chain, in Farmington and in Livonia, and for the Jackson Citizen Patriot.
O’Connor continues to work as a freelancer for magazines and newspapers, including USA TODAY, Soccer News, Music Express and the Derry Journal in Northern Ireland.
In addition to Allen, the other members of the Hall of Fame are:
Rob Musial, who was inducted in 2024, worked at the Detroit Free Press, The Detroit Sunday Journal and the Oakland Press.
The members inducted in 2025 are: Kim Kozlowski, who covered education for The Detroit News and now Bridge Michigan; Joe Misiewicz, known as Dr. Joe, who worked for the National Armed Services Radio Network, and covered the Watergate trial, before teaching journalism at Eastern Michigan, Central Michigan, and Ball State universities; and Kristy Montee, who worked as a reporter and editor at the Sun-Sentinel in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, before turning her pen to fiction, writing the P.J. Parrish novels with her sister.
Kyle invited everyone to the spring gala, which starts at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, April 2, in the McKenny Ballroom at Eastern Michigan University. Tickets are available through the university’s online box office, https://bit.ly/EchoGala2026.
The event includes the ceremony, dinner and a silent auction benefiting The Eastern Echo’s Student Media Development Fund, which supports the operations of The Echo print and online editions.
