1998's
Distinguished Alumni Recall WVU
Learning from experience at the student
newspaper, finding leadership opportunities in the Air Force ROTC,
producing television news and interviews, or learning to have
pride in state heritage through the teachings of a music folklore
professor—all these fondest memories of the WVU Alumni Association's
1998 Academy of Distinguished Alumni inductees spring from the
same soil, their experiences at WVU. The newest members of the
Academy paused to remember some of what their alma mater gave
them.
For Terry Wimmer, it was learning journaic practices as a volunteer at the Daily Athenaeum, where he eventually became managing editor. He looks back now, from the vantage point of a Pulitzer Prize winner, at "memories of a lot of hard work" that was essential training for things to come.
Wimmer graduated from WVU in 1976. After graduation, he began work at the Charleston Gazette, where he became executive sports editor. In 1986, Wimmer went to work for the Orange County (Calif.) Register as editor for coverage of courts and community news. He became health and technology editor in 1994.
A scandal at the University of California, Irvine, covered by Wimmer and his staff won them the 1996 Pulitzer Prize for investigative reporting. Today, Wimmer works at the Register in new media and is a mentor for WVU's Career Success Academy (see WVU Alumni Magazine, Winter 1998). Regarding his work with the Career Success Academy, Wimmer said, "When I was a student, if I could have had someone reaching down to me, it would have been a big help, and now, it's an honor to do it." His advice to journalism students today: "Learn on-line journalism."
For Kathy Quattrone, another journa educated at WVU, the key was learning the fundamentals. If a person learns the basics, she mused, then the challenges ahead are surmountable.
She remembered her WVU journalism professors taking out "ten percent of the words in what I thought was a perfectly good essay" and finding her work much improved. Such experiences, she said, "grounded me in the fundamentals" and provided a good starting point for a promising career.
Quattrone completed her master's at WVU in 1983. She taught high school briefly, then she went to work at WWVU-TV in 1976 as a producer/reporter and eventually became the station's director of programming. She left the WVU station, now WNPB-TV, in 1984 to direct programming at WMFE-TV in Orlando, Florida, and later moved to Alexandria, Virginia, to work at the Public Broadcasting System national programming office. Currently, she is vice president of programming, with authority over programs aired nationally by PBS affiliates.
Perhaps it's not surprising that for Air Force Lt. Gen. Robert
Foglesong, discipline is a mantra. "Coming back to the campus
has brought home to me what I really took with me when I left
WVU: a sense of discipline that has stood me well through 25 years."
Foglesong graduated from WVU's chemical engineering program three
times, earning his bachelor's in 1968, his master's in 1969, and
his Ph.D. in 1971. The general said his technical education in
chemical engineering "had a half-life." It faded.
But what he learned even more than formulas was "the discipline and processes to attack complex issues in a methodical way." That and leadership skills he learned as a cadet wing commander in the Air Force ROTC fueled a career that would take him to high leadership positions. The three-star general has commanded the 51st Fighter Wing at Osan Air Base and the 14th Flying Training Wing at Columbus Air Force Base. Currently, he serves as assistant to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Having published 37 articles on technical and leadership topics, Foglesong continues to pursue intellectual inquiry.
A professor who brought folk music from the hollows to the classroom, and another professor who challenged him to try something different, formed indelible marks on the life of Chris Sarandon. Professor Patrick Ward Gainer gave Sarandon a respect for West Virginia's cultural heritage through his musical folklore course. This experience, and a suggestion from Professor Emeritus Charles Neel that he should think about majoring in theater, were two forces that changed his life, Sarandon recalled.
He took Neel's advice and, "After a couple of productions, there was no turning back." In 1964 he received a bachelor's in theater at WVU and then earned a master's from the Catholic University of America.
He made his film debut in Dog Day Afternoon, for which he received an Academy Award nomination as best supporting actor for his portrayal of Al Pacino's lover. Since then, Sarandon has appeared in numerous films including The Princess Bride, Fright Night, and The Nightmare Before Christmas. His most recent projects include American Perfekt, an entry in the Cannes Film Festival, and Road Ends, which he starred in and produced.
—Tim Terman