E Jason Wambsgans

E. Jason Wambsgans has been a staff photojournalist at the Chicago Tribune since 2002. He was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for feature photography in 2017 for his tender photos of a child shooting victim, illuminating the city's brutal street violence. The Detroit-area native is a graduate of Central Michigan University.

Angel Delgadillo, 98, known as the “guardian angel of Route 66,” in an old barber chair at his shop, Angel and Vilma Delgadillo’s Original Route 66 Gift Shop, in Seligman, Arizona, June 6, 2025. (E. Jason Wambsgans/Chicago Tribune)

Route 66: Meet the Mother Road’s ‘Guardian Angel’

July 6, 2025 at 6:20 a.m.

At 98, Angel Delgadillo’s entire life has played out along what John Steinbeck called “the mother road.” And the historic road likely wouldn't exist today without him.

Wild burros on Route 66 near Oatman, Arizona, on June 4, 2025. (E. Jason Wambsgans/Chicago Tribune)

Route 66: The Arizona Sidewinder, wild burros and a living statue

June 16, 2025 at 11:45 a.m.

This section of Route 66 may be one of the most scenic drives in the U.S.

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