Wayne Dawson, Fox 8’s morning news anchor, received the William Taylor Award at the Annual Journalism and Mass Communication Alumni and Friends Awards Reception and Ceremony the night of Friday, Oct. 17.

Dawson told the audience that Kent State prepared him completely for his career as a broadcast journalist. The William Taylor Award is the most prestigious award given to a JMC alumnus.

“I’m just a guy from the inner city of Cleveland that came to Kent State University with a dream of being on television,” Dawson said. “And because of what happened here – the work I put in and the instruction I got – the dream came true.”

Dawson credits his job at Fox 8 to TV2, the only student-run, local television station in the county. Dawson said he went to Fox 8 Studios immediately after he graduated in 1979 with a TV2 recording of his reporting and was hired on the spot. Dawson has now been with Fox 8 for thirty-five years.

“Kent State means so much to me,” said Dawson. “I want to remember my commitment to this university.”

Other awards given included the Sharon Marquis Friends of JMC award, which is awarded to a person who works to support the mission of JMC. This year’s recipient was Marianne Warzinski, the academic program director for CCI Commons.

There were two recipients of Fast Track Alumnus awards, which are given to recent alumni who have launched their careers quickly and have had substantial impacts on their industries.

Kyle Michael Miller was one of the recipients of the Fast Track Alumnus award. Miller graduated in 2009 and is a digital reporter, producer and social media editor for TODAY.com in New York City.

Christina Stowers, who graduated in 2008, also received a Fast Track Alumnus Award. Stowers works as a communications specialist at the US Department of Energy in Washington, D.C.

Contact Julia Kerchenski at [email protected].