
Rick Berg, speechwriter and Isthmus contributor, dies at 73
Rick Berg, a Madison native and Isthmus columnist, died on Saturday, Nov. 11, at UW Hospital in Madison. He was 73.
A 1968 graduate of Fort Atkinson High School, he earned a bachelor's degree in journalism from UW-Madison in 1974. He worked in local and state government in Wisconsin for more than 30 years. Berg was a former Madison school board member and former Dane County Republican Party chairman. He ran unsuccessfully for mayor, and also worked as a speechwriter for Gov. Tommy Thompson. Throughout his career in government, he maintained his roots in journalism, writing dozens of pieces for Isthmus, from his conservative perspective.