Editor’s note: This month marks the twentieth anniversary of the death of Chicago newspaper and syndicated columnist Mike Royko, a fixture of the Windy City’s media for more than three decades. The Chicago Tribune, Royko’s final professional stop, called him the “voice” of the city in its obituary; Studs Terkel once said, “Mike was Chicago.”

THE WEEKLY STANDARD’S Andrew Ferguson, a former Chicago resident, remembered Royko in an article entitled “S.O.B., R.I.P.” from the magazine’s May 12, 1997, issue. The text is reposted below.

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