Finalist: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, by Mark Johnson

To the judges:

 

The students wait, nervously, in the lecture hall, their minds drifting up to the lab and the mystery that awaits them. Their professor, himself a young man, stands before them, but they soon will meet a silent teacher who holds deep and unexpected lessons.

 

So begins “The Course of Their Lives,” a story written by Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reporter Mark Johnson that follows a group of six first-year students at the Medical College of Wisconsin through the most pivotal course in their quest to become doctors: gross anatomy.

 

The story takes readers into a world that few will ever know, one where youthful doctors-to-be are forced to rethink their goals and ambitions, their views of medicine and the role of doctors, of life and death and what follows.

 

The writing itself is extraordinary.

 

But the story was envisioned from the beginning as a multimedia feature, one that seamlessly connects photos, videos and graphics in a powerful presentation. As such, we are submitting this entry in its online format.

 

“The Course of Their Lives” ties together the mystery facing the medical students of Table 1 as they struggle to determine what killed the woman whose body they are working on, and the story of 80-year-old Geraldine “Nana” Fotsch and how she came to the decision to one day donate her body to be examined by a similar group of students.

 

In the hands of Johnson, a 2011 Pulitzer Prize winner and two-time finalist, the stories are deftly connected, with the students — many of whom have scant experience with death — wrestling with self-doubt as they pursue the answer to the mystery at their table. Meanwhile, Nana Fotsch unspools a reflective story of family, faith and an appreciation for life that will outlive her.

 

The work received rave reviews from readers, including doctors, donors and others who said it prompted them to consider profound questions. Nieman Storyboard named it to its list of top multimedia narratives of 2013.

 

“What a remarkable achievement in storytelling,” wrote Wanda Garner Cash, a professor at the University of Texas School of Journalism. “This will be a textbook example of how to use varied platforms to inform — and enthrall — readers.”

 

“In my 68 years and many, many hours of reading newspapers, I cannot recall a series that left me more emotional and filled with thought-provoking ideas,” wrote Rick Burdick of Greendale, Wis. “Truly inspirational.”

 

“A beautiful and amazing piece that brought together so many perspectives and ideas that just makes a reader think,” wrote Andy Brodzeller of Milwaukee. “And encouraging our community to think is exactly what the paper should do.”

 

“Your narrative,” wrote reader Jennifer Esch, “expertly captured the surprising beauty found in every gross anatomy lab: the generosity of donors, the anxieties of medical hopefuls, the passion of science educators, the wonder and mystery of the human body.”

 

Thank you for considering Mark Johnson and his story, “The Course of Their Lives,” for the Pulitzer Prize in Feature Writing.

 

Sincerely,

Martin Kaiser

Editor