Robert Enstad, a longtime Chicago Tribune reporter and editor who grew up in River Falls, died Wednesday, Jan. 29, at Aurora Medical Center in Kenosha. He was 81.
Enstad, who was a longtime resident of Kenosha at the time of his death, was born Sept. 11, 1938, in Pine City, Minn., to Carl and Austred (Oas) Enstad. While growing up in River Falls, he took interest in politics and began writing a column for the River Falls Journal. As a junior in high school, he obtained press credentials to the 1956 Democratic National Convention in Chicago, an experience that confirmed his desire to pursue a career in journalism.
He went on to attend UW-River Falls before earning his bachelor’s degree in journalism from Indiana University in 1961. After graduating, Enstad spent 36 years as a reporter and editor for the Chicago Tribune. He retired in 1998.
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During his time with the Tribune, Enstad covered the Chicago Seven trial in 1970, which stemmed from the riots that erupted during the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago. Enstad also worked as an investigative reporter, including as part of a 1972 Tribune task force for which Enstad illegally bought handguns in Florida, Virginia and Iowa. He later covered the northern suburbs and southern Wisconsin.
His work at the Tribune brought Enstad back to River Falls in 1994, to cover the case of Aldrich Ames, a CIA operative turned KGB double agent. Shortly after Enstad’s article was published, Ames pleaded guilty and was sentenced to life in prison.
A celebration of life for Enstad is scheduled for 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 15, at Piasecki Funeral Home, 3720 39th Ave., Kenosha.
