There is no warm feeling about the date and event of a loss of life, especially of a young person who was apparently preparing a misguided act of terrorism.

Early in March, 40-years ago- March 6, 1970- former Ann Arbor resident Diana Oughton, 28, and two young men, all members of the radical, locally-based “The Weatherman” underground, were killed in a violent explosion in an alleged bomb factory/townhouse in New York’s Greenwich Village.

I was a 22-year-old, aspiring local radio news reporter, who was excited that a reliable source had given me the exclusive story of the explosion. One problem with reporting it: since our radio station broadcast only during the daylight hours, we were off the air until 6 a.m. the following day.

It was painful. I literally sat on my first major news exclusive!

Since an impatient young newsman becomes extremely anxious, in haste, I decided to telephone a news report to the popular radio station CKLW-Radio 80, Windsor-Detroit, whose format catered to a college-age audience.

The CKLW newsman was somewhat reluctant to accept an unconfirmed story of violent deaths from an unfamiliar person from a small, day-time radio station in Ypsilanti.

But when the next "20/20" newscast blasted over the CKLW airwaves, they inserted my audio news summary of the events in New York City and the story was first broadcast loud and clear to the CKLW listening audience throughout Michigan and North America. I was thrilled to hear my voice-report of this exclusive story.

Today, I remove the rose-colored glasses and look back at my news story from the perspective of an older adult and a parent.

In 1970, my timely report of this major story was an opportunity to further my career. And I suspect today's young journalists may too become obscure to the personal effect of a tragic event. It is more than just reporting unfamiliar names and numbers and the importance of beating a newspaper or a broadcast deadline.

My wife and I have a 30-year-old son who is happily married and teaching at the University of Missouri in Columbia. We pray that he and his wife will have much happiness and a long and fruitful life. Diane Oughton was 28 when she died. At her gravesite, March 24, 1970, the presiding minister explained Diana's death as part of the violent history of the times. So sad.