Alumni News

Yakking It Up With a Ferris Alum (continued) "I'm well known for playing elaborate practical jokes on my family," said Westman. "One year for Christmas, I lay beneath the Christmas tree with my body hidden, and my head wrapped as a gift. My niece, Jamie, opened it and screamed" Jamie, now 18, remembers the incident well. "It was funny after the shock wore off. Having Marty for my uncle has made me a much stronger person. He's definitely provided me some interesting memories." Ferris Memories Westman's memories of Ferris center on Harold Scott, his design class instructor. "He was a real inspiration to me," said Westman. "He really made me think. When I designed a logo for a trucking company and turned in the assignment, he asked me what was wrong with it. It took me hours to figure out the truck was going the wrong way." Westman's been headed in the right direction for some time now. In 1989 he joined the Knight-Ridder Tribune in Washington, D.C., where he was one of three original animators to launch "News in Motion," the country's first daily animated news service. In 1994 he accepted an offer from the Detroit Free Press and has been delighting children ever since. The Yak has no audible voice, but his columns are written in first person. Patricia Chargot, a key Yak's Corner staffer, is a solid Westman fan. "The kids of Michigan love him, and they love his Yak. When Marty wears the costume, he's the best. He doesn't need to talk. He has a special handshake ­ what an icebreaker!" International Idol The Yak has traveled extensively and experienced temperature extremes from the frozen Alaskan landscape where he covered the silver anniversary of the Iditarod ­ the world-famous sled dog race ­ to Disney World in Florida. His next big adventure will be visiting the summer Olympic games in Australia.

"The Yak reports on subjects that interest kids," said Westman. "At the Iditarod, there were two mushers from Michigan; we covered the dogs more than the racers, including two dogs that had to stay home. It's what the kids wanted to know about." Westman has two costumes. While both are made from real Yak hair (dyed with multiple colors which are not apparent from a distance), one is "Disney quality" and one is a "field" costume. Battery-operated fans keep the costume inflated but do nothing to cool its occupant. Costume Changes It's not all fun and games. The 20-lb. Yak suit presents its own challenges. "I lost 10 pounds in four days wearing the costume under the Florida sun. Yak hair is warm enough for the Himalayan mountains, after all." Too Big For A Taxi And sometimes the sheer size of the Yak is a problem. Attempting to enter a taxi in the 7-foot costume caused gridlock in Times Square. "The horns were stuck in the door," said Westman. "We literally stopped traffic. My photographer was no help. She was laughing too hard." New York was a tough town for the Yak. "Some kids in Chinatown, who looked about 12 years old, pulled the Yak's tail and just pummeled me/him. The Yak always has a handler along to help don and shed the costume and to help control the audience. These kids were just out of control." Despite some overzealous fans, Westman says The Yak has taught him great respect for kids. "They're very critical and really creative. Sticklers for detail. They speak the truth." The truth is that "Yak's Corner" is a huge success, receiving more mail than any other section of the Detroit Free Press. "It's the fastest growing syndication in Tribune Media history," said Westman. So what's Westman's goal for his beloved alter ego? "I want him to be bigger than Barney."

Westman and his staff have a remarkable talent for making education fun. The Yak's Corner calendar uses 264 stickers to help kids keep track of homework and chores as well as mark special days such as friends' birthdays and visits to their grandparents. The calendar program's many honors include two "Distinguished Achievement in Literacy" awards from the Educational Press Foundation (1996 and 1997). The Yak's Corner Calendar also received a Certificate of Merit from the International Newspaper Marketing Association (1998).