To the Editor,
I enjoyed the article about WGLT and its history (May 2016). Ben Paxton hired me in 1973 during my freshman year. He gave me a job as an engineer and on-air personality.
He brought me along in management thinking, and I did my directed project in broadcast management. He helped me to think outside the box. Don’t do the same old thing, find or build a new format.
For the senior year project, I formatted an all-sports station, radio and television together, for a 5 a.m.-midnight broadcast. It featured sports in Central Illinois and pro sports broadcasts when available. We sold time to advertisers in the area.
Ben thought it a good business idea and gave me a perfect score for my senior year. I beat ESPN’s start by two years (TV) and by 10 (radio). Thank you for the guidance, Ben. May you rest in peace.
John Volpe ’77
To the Editor,
I was delighted to read the article Exceptional English niche (May 2016). As a sophomore special education major, I took a class in children’s lit with Verna Hoyman. She convinced us that if teachers used children’s lit properly, we could change the world. I still remember her animated reading of Caps for Sale.
When I went back to ISNU to get my master’s degree in 1967, I took every children’s lit class available. Taimi Ranta was my thesis advisor. Now when my granddaughters and I dramatize Caps for Sale or make Chicken Soup with Rice or sponge-paint to copy Swimmy pictures, I remember dear Miss Hoyman. I am grateful for those wonderful classes in children’s literature. They truly changed my life.
Nancy (Rose) Wissinger ’64, M.S. ’67
