The power of the press can never be understated. No event in American history highlights this notion as well as the Watergate scandal. Bob Woodward broke the story, alongside Carl Bernstein, while working for the Washington Post. Woodward attended Wheaton Central High School from 1957 to 1961, which was a direct predecessor to Wheaton Warrenville South.

He also grew up in Wheaton, which even gets a shoutout in the Academy Award-winning film based on “All the President’s Men,” which was the book Woodward wrote with Bernstein in regard to the Watergate investigation.

“I think people here have pride in the fact that such an important figure in the 20th century and in the United States came from here,” said social studies teacher Chuck Williams.

Yet, if you roam the halls of Wheaton Warrenville South the only recognition for Woodward are signed copies of a couple of his books in a display case and a picture on the wall in the lower scholarship hallway. If you were to ask someone, staff or student, they likely wouldn’t even be able to tell you who he is.

“I believe that there should be greater knowledge of him,” said Williams. “Especially because we don’t really get to this period in history until the very end of the school year and we usually go by too quickly.”

In 1972, Woodward worked with Bernstein to uncover one of the biggest presidential scandals the U.S. has ever witnessed. Eventually leading to the resignation of President Richard Nixon, the investigation revealed that the Nixon administration was involved in a break-in at the headquarters of the Democratic National Committee, located at the Watergate complex in Washington D.C., and orchestrated a massive cover up afterward. He continues to cover and write about politics to this day, specializing in U.S. presidents.

“I would just say the idea that the press is to be a check on government, it’s to be academic,” said Williams. “Freedom of the press is one of the key values of our country. Having someone use that to protect our country I think is very important.”

Woodward’s story is a great example of success from the Wheaton Warrenville South community, and certainly the most impactful one in the field of reporting. Watchdog journalism is crucial to a functioning democracy, and Woodward’s work exemplifies that. He started out in Wheaton and went on to make paramount contributions on a national and global level.