Josh Garber / LJWorld.com

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Josh Garber

At what moment did you realize you wanted to become a journalist (videographer, meteorologist, sports reporter, etc.)? And if there wasn't a specific point in time, what was the motivating factor?
I never intended to become a journalist. There was never a moment for me when it just hit me over the head that this is what I want to do with my life. All I can really say is that I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life in college, so I picked the major with the least amount of required math credits. I then started working part-time (ha!) at a start up NBC affiliate and San Angelo, Texas. I became so busy and was having so much fun, it never dawned on me to do anything else. The math thing came back to bite me, though; I'm now going back to school for an Atmospheric Science degree and have four Calculus courses ahead of me. Wheeeeee!

When you really want to relax and let your hair down in Lawrence, where do you go and what do you do?
If I have the time and the money, I rent an airplane out at the Lawrence Municipal Airport and go flying for an hour or two, or I'll drive over to Topeka and walk around the Combat Air Museum. If I have no money, I usually dust off my weight bench and exercise for a while. Usually, though, I have no money or time.

What comes to your mind as the most memorable local story you've covered?
We came up with a huge project celebrating the hundredth anniversary of powered flight. We featured a World War II vintage fighter plane that's based out of the Lawrence Municipal Airport. It's a Grumman F-4F -- one of only two that are still in flying condition. This particular aircraft crashed into Lake Michigan off a training aircraft carrier in 1944. It was fished out in 1991 and restored. We talked with two former F-4F pilots, one of whom actually flew that particular aircraft a month before it crashed.

If you couldn't be a reporter, what occupation would you want to try?
I'm hoping (after I earn my Atmospheric Science degree from KU) to become a meteorologist. If I had to get out of this career field entirely, I'd probably like to be a pilot (big surprise) for a commercial airline.

Which two people do you admire most? One should be someone you know. The other, someone you've never met.
Brig. Gen. Charles "Chuck" Yeager is the person I admire the most. He was the first pilot to break the sound barrier. He's a legendary pilot in aviation circles for many other accomplishments as well. As for someone I know, I really admire my wife. Besides her beauty, I think she's one of the most intelligent, quick-witted people I've ever met.

If you were stranded on a deserted island with only one song to listen to and one book to read for the duration, what would they be?
I'd read the "Lords of Discipline" by Pat Conroy and listen to the Eagles' 'Hotel California."

If they were going to execute you tomorrow, rightly or wrongly, what would your last meal consist of?
That's tough...OK, not really, since I'm so finicky. My last meal would be a hamburger and french fries with lots of ketchup (my Yankee relatives say catsup), with an ice cold Coke. I'm hungry now.

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