OHIO students receive financial awards in honor of former WOUB employees

Addison Kearns, Haley Richardson, Donovan Varney and Audrey Paquette

Four ��ý students who serve as WOUB student employees recently received financial awards in honor of two former WOUB employees.

The Edmund A. Williams Technology Oriented Leadership Award and the Jeffrey R. Spalding Memorial Award were presented to the students during the 2025 WOUB Student Recognition Event on April 25. Each of the four students was awarded $1,000.

The Edmund A. Williams Technology Oriented Leadership Award winners

Audrey Paquette, a rising senior journalism news and information major from Gahanna, Ohio, and Addison Kearns, a rising sophomore journalism news and information major from Delaware, Ohio, received the Williams award.

“I was very thankful to receive the Ed Williams Technology Award, and I’m more grateful after doing more research on the award and Ed himself,” said Paquette. “Through my research, I discovered the significant impact Ed had on WOUB, and I strive to achieve the same goal, especially since this is my senior year. I’m also grateful to receive the financial help because I’m putting myself through college.”

Williams worked at WOUB from 1961 – 1974. He went on to work for PBS, where he was part of the team that developed captioning for the deaf and helped build the PBS Satellite Interconnection System for 50 stations nationwide.

Williams also worked for the National Association of Broadcasters and the Advanced Television Test Center, before returning to PBS in 1992 to work on the implementation of digital television. He retired from PBS in 2005. In 2007, he moved to The Villages, an active adult community in central Florida.

During his time at WOUB, Williams worked with and trained students in the installation and maintenance of radio and television equipment. Through that work, Williams was able to see how much students benefited from the experience they gained working at a professional PBS and NPR member station.

“Receiving this award made me feel more connected to WOUB Public Media and recognized as a part of the directing staff,” said Kearns. “This award will help me prioritize academic endeavors, as well as my time spent volunteering at WOUB on NewsWatch, in turn preparing me for a career in directing.”

The Jeffrey R. Spalding Memorial Award winners

Haley Richardson, a rising junior journalism news and information major from Fanwood, New Jersey, and Donovan Varney, a rising senior journalism news and information major from Gahanna, Ohio, received the Spalding award.

“I was very surprised to receive the award. It was my first time receiving an award at recognition night, so I was very excited. It was a great honor,” said Varney. “It will help me greatly in my pursuit of a career and degree. The extra money in my pocket has taken a little extra stress off my shoulders and will allow me to put more time and effort into WOUB.”

The Spalding Award is presented to an outstanding student working at WOUB. It is funded by contributions from family and friends, past winners of the award, and a gift bequest from his widow, Marie Kopan. Jeff and Marie received their bachelor's degrees at ��ý and worked as professional staff members at WOUB. Spalding worked at WOUB for more than 25 years.

“When I found out I received the Jeffrey R. Spalding Memorial Award, I felt truly honored. Mr. Spalding's dedication to WOUB throughout his career was inspiring and I hope to live up to the example he set,” said Richardson. “This award will alleviate the cost of college and allow me to dedicate more time to WOUB, where I get to work with my peers in a professional environment to create accurate and informative newscasts.”

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