Jody BeckJody Beck grew up in Lincoln, Nebraska, the oldest of five children born to Leo J. Beck Jr. and Phyllis Kokjer Beck, Ty's cousin. Ty's parents were occasional visitors to the Beck home, but both died when Beck was in college and before she knew aboutTy's story. She was a reporter for The Washington Star, an assignment editor at WRC-TV, taught journalism at the University of Maryland-College Park, and was director of the Scripps Howard Foundation's Semester in Washington Program. She earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and a master's degree from the University of Maryland, both in journalism. She lives in Washington, D.C. Contact her, read blog posts, and leave questions or reviews at jody-beck.com Read More Read Less