Ebert's book dedications: Who is Robert Zonka?

Most of Roger Ebert’s books are dedicated “To Robert Zonka: God love ya.” Searching Google for him, I didn’t find anything relevant (one reference to the band Space Surfers, a website to a band from Tufts, a discussion of the Bhutan language Zonka, etc) and I couldn’t find the name Zonka searching his online reviews.

So, does anyone know who he is? Good friend? Famous Chicago guy? Ex-producer for Siskel&Ebert? Ex-boss from the Sun-Times? Ex-teacher from Champagne-Urbana?

I’ll let Ebert tell you.

http://www.suntimes.com/ebert/ebert_reviews/1992/09/778428.html
More about Bob Zonka. Incidentally if you had typed “Robert Zonka Ebert” in google you would have got the above review. The all-mighty google always delivers if you know how to ask.:wink: (albeit a little fortuitously in this case because there happened to be a “Robert” in the review. If you had typed “Bob Zonka Ebert” you would have gotten both reviews.)