* Rick Kogan…

Mike Flannery walked into the newsroom of the Chicago Sun-Times on June 18, 1973, a fresh-faced, hopelessly curious and wildly energetic 22-year-old and now he is calling it quits, leaving the political scene where he earned the admiration of colleagues, rivals and viewers. Esteemed journalist Carol Marin puts it succinctly: “Mike is a walking, talking encyclopedia of politics.”

His final report will come on June 30 on WFLD-Ch. 32. That is where he has been political editor for 13 years, as well as host of the weekly “Flannery Fired Up” interview program, He previously spent 30 years in a similar role at WBBM-Ch. 2, which came after his seven years at the Sun-Times.

So, what will his final story be?

“Who knows?” Flannery said. “That has always been one of the great joys of being a reporter in this town, the constant unpredictability of it all, the ways in which a story will grow and alter, even over the course of one day. In that way, this business has been perfectly suited for my personality.” […]

So, you wish him well and he says, “Thanks. I can think of, almost see, my young self, sitting at home watching on TV the Democratic Convention in 1968 and then in 1996 there I was covering the next convention here, running around like crazy. And now, the convention is coming back next year and …” He goes silent for a moment and you realize you might be able to take this man out of politics but it might be impossible to take politics out of this man.

Good luck, Mike!