Whether she knew it at the time or not, Susan J. Smith Cornwell began her journalism career as a child. She started her own neighborhood newspaper where she walked around and chatted with the neighbors, learning their latest gossip.

Journalism was always in Cornwell’s blood. Growing up, her father was the editor of a small weekly paper in her hometown of Metropolis, Illinois. He had a heavy influence in her political enthusiasm, too, as she spent childhood weekends at the county fair watching him converse with congressmen. 

By the time she turned 18, Cornwell decided journalism was the most natural path for her. She started writing for The Daily Illini her freshman and sophomore years at the University, until she became Features Editor as a junior and finished off her senior year as an executive reporter.

Sher Watts Spooner, Cornwell’s college roommate and DI coworker, said Cornwell was a good student in addition to her impressive work at The DI. She had an impressive work-play balance, spending her free time going on salsa dancing dates, baking bread and throwing parties with Spooner at their apartment.

According to Spooner, Cornwell was skilled at writing features, but she always wanted to do more. After graduating from the University in 1977, Cornwell went on to receive her master’s from Sangamon State University.

She then spent a summer working at the Alton Telegraph as a copy clerk, before she became a full-time reporter at the Springfield State Journal-Register, where she was able to work alongside some old DI coworkers again.

When Cornwell worked up to reporting for the AP, she had some say in where she would be stationed. Her first year, she returned to Springfield to cover the state capitol. For her second year with the AP in Chicago, she was faced with the choice again.

“I was talking to my friends, and I said, well, should I ask for Washington, or should I ask for a post abroad?” Cornwell said. “My friend said, if you go to Washington now you’ll stay there your whole life.”

And just like that, at the age of 27, Cornwell headed for Germany with her luggage and two semesters worth of university German language classes.

She spent the next five and a half years reporting in Germany, followed by three and a half in the Soviet Union, where she learned Russian as well.

Cornwell’s work abroad was no cakewalk. She reported in the midst of “ethnic unrest,” such as the conflict between Armenians and Azerbaijanis, who were in deadly territorial combat at the time. In addition, she interviewed world leaders, like Helmut Kohl, former German chancellor. 

On the outside, Cornwell may have appeared collected. But Cornwell said she never felt prepared for interviewing such high-profile figures.

“She’s not very tall and she doesn’t intimidate anyone necessarily, but she doesn’t hesitate to ask the hard questions. She uses it to her advantage, that Southern Illinois style, the way she talks,” said Liz Poppens, close friend and coworker during Cornwell’s time at The DI and Springfield State Register.

Cornwell recalled one moment during her summer at the Alton Telegraph, where she turned a paper into the Sports Editor, who replied to her with “Thank you, sweetheart.”

“And I said, ‘Don’t call me sweetheart,’” Cornwell added.

Cornwell needed to have some extra edge, as she rose to success as a journalist during a more difficult time for women in such professions.

“As the women say at the time we were coming up, we were in the second wave of feminism,” Poppens said. “I mean, a lot of us were breaking new ground. Susan is one of those women who really had to sacrifice some things to make it all happen.”

Gene Gibbons, senior White House correspondent for Reuters while Susan worked there, recalled one example that showcased Cornwell’s nonstop dedication to the job. While covering the White House, she was a part of the press pool, a selection of reporters assigned to collect information that other outlets may use, which is limited to a small amount for security reasons.

In this case, the pool traveled with former President Clinton. On the last night of the trip before returning home, Gibbons said all of the reporters were worn out and didn’t plan on doing anything more for the night unless there was pressing news. Clinton was in a meeting with financial contributors.

“Suddenly, (Clinton) said, ‘I think I raised your taxes too much,’” Gibbons said. “I heard the line, and I thought it was a throwaway, and most of the other reporters felt the same way. But Susan, she was paying attention.”

Cornwell filed the news story, which Gibbons said created “quite a stir” for a while. The White House Correspondents’ Association recognized her excellent presidential reporting on a quick deadline and honored Cornwell with the prestigious Merriman Smith Memorial Award.

“She was — not even at the end of a long, exhausting trip — chilling out like the rest of us were. She was still on the job paying attention and doing good journalism,” Gibbons added.

Gibbons was “over the moon” when he learned of Cornwell’s induction into the Hall of Fame.

“She’s a terrific reporter, and even more importantly, a wonderful human being,” he said.

After a long, successful career in journalism, Cornwell decided to retire from Reuters earlier this January.

“I’m not saying I’m not going to write anymore,” Cornwell said. “I’ve been very tempted by the Ukrainian (conflict with Russia) having spent time in Lviv, Zhytomyr and Kyiv and other parts of Ukraine, the Crimea. I’m feeling it tugging at my journalistic heartstrings in a big way.”

But lately, Cornwell has been spending time with her family and taking care of their needs, spending a lot of time with her mother.

“What is next? I actually do think I’m one of these people who, like the politicians say, I’m retiring to spend more time with my family and friends.”

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