black pearl

Many of us know Miles Burke Maguire, the 51-year-old journalism professor that teaches at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh. But few of us know the true story of the legendary Baltimore Sun journalist and the experiences he had while writing for the Sun.

Miles has worked at the university for six years and has been showing kids the way to journalism immortality ever since. However, before he was a teacher Miles worked at the Baltimore Evening Sun. He started his journalism career at the sun as a copy editor.

“I actually wanted to be a reporter,” Said Miles. “ Being a copy editor was boring.”

Miles would get his wish soon enough and would become the maritime reporter for the Baltimore Sun, and it was his times as a reporter at the Sun which would prove to the most memorable to him.

He recalled a time where a ship had come into port but was put under arrest due to illegal operations.

“Many people don’t know that a ship can be put under arrest,” Miles said. “But it can be put under arrest for things like not paying its bills and then there anchored at the port until things are cleared up.”

Miles knew he had to get the story but had no way of getting aboard the anchored vessel.

“I remember talking this coast guard officer into letting me bored his ship,” Miles said. “When we got close to the ship I suggested that we go aboard and take a look.”

After convincing the coast guard officer to go along with his plan, Miles climbed up the netting and boarded the ship.

“I knew there was a story there,” Miles said. “But I knew I needed an interview to have a story.”

Even though the chinese captain only spoke a small amount of english, Miles still got his story.
And after it's publication in the sun it had enough impact to be recognized by the Washington Post.