DONORS AND SCHOLARS
Leaving A Legacy WRITTEN BY ERICA LINDSAY
SUMME R 2 018
The term “leaving a legacy” may sound like a cliché, but that’s exactly what Paul Atkins has done. For many alumni, Professor Atkins needs no introduction.
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“Tough” and “fair” are adjectives used to describe his teaching style, along with an emphasis on accuracy. He was legendary for marking up the previous day’s Daily Athenaeum with red pen and displaying it in the DA newsroom on the second floor of Martin Hall. For former students Joe Gollehon (BSJ, 1973) and James Hunkler (BSJ, 1950), memories of professors like Atkins inspired them to leave their own legacies. Atkins, Gollehon and Hunkler have each made generous planned gifts to the WVU Reed College of Media. And while each of them has a different story, their motives for giving are perfectly aligned. They want future students to have the same meaningful experiences they had at the College of Media. Atkins came to West Virginia University with a wave of other World War II veterans who were taking advantage of the new G.I. Bill. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Journalism in 1949 and was called back to his alma mater four years later by Dean Perley Isaac Reed to be the faculty advisor at the DA. Now, at 94-years-old, Atkins can still recall the exact date of the special edition Daily Athenaeum that he is most proud of – November 23, 1963, the day after John F. Kennedy’s assassination. Kennedy was killed on a Friday, which set into motion a series of changes on campus, from postponed classes to a cancelled football game. Before email, cell phones and the internet, information was distributed through the newspaper, but the DA didn’t run on Saturdays. “We were sort of up the creek without a paddle, wondering what we could do to inform the campus,” Atkins said. “I had to capture students who were scattered everywhere from beer joints to sleeping in their rooms, but we got a staff of seven or eight people and arranged for a single-page press run at 11 p.m. I was very proud of those students and that we got the paper out Saturday morning.” Along with the DA advisor role, he taught courses in reporting and copyediting. Throughout his 33 years teaching, he moved up through the ranks with promotions to assistant professor, associate professor and finally professor. But in those early days, he was just happy to be back at the college newspaper that he was so fond of as a student.
The Flying A Paul Atkins spent 33 years teaching journalism at WVU and advising students at the Daily Athenaeum. His students fondly remember him for his dedication, red pen and speed as he ran up and down the steps of Martin Hall.
“I was proud every day that we put out a paper. When you work and produce something daily, you develop a camaraderie, a family. So, I really remember those Athenaeum students from the 50s and 60s,” Atkins said. “Those students have a lot of impact on me. I’ve watched several of them become managing editors, sports editors or top reporters.” And they remember him. Hunkler kept in touch with Atkins and received Christmas cards from him every year. For more than 40 years, Hunkler served in a wide range of public and community relations positions at the Battelle Memorial Institute in Columbus, Ohio. He was also active in many community and professional groups, including the Society of Professional Journalists, which honored him with the Distinguished Service Award in 1977. In the 1990s, he decided to make a planned gift to the College of Media, sharing that he owed his career to WVU. When Hunkler died on April 26, 2017, at the age of 88, the College received $575,000 from his estate. These unrestricted funds will be used to enhance academic programming and provide opportunities for students. “It’s a real gift to have an unrestricted donation of this magnitude, particularly during these tough economic times,” said Maryanne Reed, dean of the WVU Reed College of Media. “We are eternally grateful to Mr. Hunkler and all alumni and friends who consider the future of the college in their estate planning.”
