Rekindling memories

Somewhere along the line, I forgot about Ohio University.

I was reminded of it a week ago at an 80th birthday party that my sister had for me. Among the guests was a fraternity brother, a photography major, Walter Leyser, '49. He brought along his latest issue of Ohio Today.

In it I noted a letter about Dick Thompson's return for OU's celebration of the 40th anniversary of WOUB, the campus television station. I was one of the founders of the station (originally it was WOUN and it was a campus-wired radio station). Vincent Jukes was the professor in charge. I have many of The Post's clippings about the station with kudos for what we accomplished in those early years.

It was at OU that I co-chaired a unique campuswide dance called "Cinderella Ball," sponsored by the Men's Independent Association, in which a queen was selected by fitting her foot into a glass slipper. It was a huge success. I also founded Chi Rho Beta (if it still exists), an honorary broadcasting society.

World War II broke out while I was still a freshman at OU. After the war I had the opportunity to attend two other universities with outstanding journalistic reputations, but Baskett Moss, head of Northwestern University's School of Journalism, suggested I return to OU because "the finest journalism instructor in the country," George Starr Lasher, taught here. I did and never regretted it.

When I was news director at WKBN-Radio/TV, Youngstown, Sid Davis came to me for advice on becoming a broadcast journalist. I recommended OU. Later, I hired him and together we won for WKBN two Distinguished Achievement Awards from the Radio-TV News Directors Association. I'm proud that I had a hand in initiating Sid's career that led him to become NBC News' vice president in Washington and, later, manager of the Voice of America and a lecturer at the Brookings Institute. Incidentally, he and his wife were also present at my 80th birthday bash.

After radio and TV, I went into business in Denver as a wholesale distributor of carpeting, floor and wall coverings and plastic laminates. After 17 years, the business was liquidated, and I retired to Orlando, Fla., where I founded an ethnic newspaper, Heritage, Florida Jewish News. Even after selling the paper in 1983 I continued writing a weekly column for almost a dozen years. In 2002, we moved to Delray Beach.

I regret never having stopped off at OU although my wife and I make an annual motor trek back to Ohio to visit my sister. My recent initiation to OU through Ohio Today and the stories I've heard about the physical changes of the campus since I attended in the ‘40s make me more anxious to see these changes for myself and to see what has replaced the old Quonset hut that housed WOUB.

Yes, I had forgotten about Ohio University until recently. But I'll be back to renew those old memories. That's a promise.

Eugene Starn, BSJ ’48
Delray Beach, Florida