Letters to the Editor

Letters to the Editor Y Magazine wants to hear from you

  • Dear Editor and Dr. Tom Shipka,

I was thrilled to read a letter from my favorite teacher at YSU, Dr. Shipka. (Actually my mother, Dr. Marilyn Solak, was my favorite, but Dr. Shipka was a close second.) He will be happy to know that I spent my adult life as a public school teacher. I have retired after teaching high school science for 33 years, mostly in Florida. I have always been active in the teacher union and am now president of the FEA Island Coast Retired Educators Association. Dr. Shipka inspired me and led me into a life of teaching. I want to thank him, my mother, and all the wonderful instructors at YSU for all you did for me.

Sincerely,

Stephen Solak, 1981
Fort Myers, Fla.

  • Dear Editor,

I enjoyed your Fall/Winter issue. Unfortunately, I cannot identify the “vinyl spinner” pictured on the back cover. However, I would suggest that he may have been the inspiration for the sweater vest made popular by President Tressel.

Sincerely,

W. Dallas Woodall, 1964

  • Dear Editor,

I just finished reading your latest Y magazine. I thoroughly enjoy reading about what is happening at YSU. Call me a dinosaur, but I like the printed magazine over the online version. I hope you do not have plans to eliminate the printed version anytime soon. I also wanted to share something. Living in North Carolina I do not get much of an opportunity to watch YSU sports in person. Although we do try to make a trip up for Homecoming. Recently I purchased a subscription to ESPN+. They were running a special, but the normal price is about $45 for the year. Now I can watch most of the football games, basketball, baseball and softball games. Other grads and friends of YSU who do not live in the area might be interested in hearing about this new streaming service.

Thank you again for putting out such a fine magazine.

Regards,

Rich Bremer, 1974
Alumni Society Life Member

  • Dear Editor,

Thank you so much for your acknowledgment of WYSU's 50th anniversary in the current issue of Y magazine. It is good to remind the YSU community of this fabulous asset. As station director Gary Sexton correctly pointed out, many public and commercial radio stations have abandoned classical music for other formats. With YSU's support and Gary's steady leadership, WYSU continues to serve as a reliable source for classical music in several Ohio and Pennsylvania counties. Your recognition is greatly appreciated. Now, on to the next 50 years of classical music and NPR news from the campus of YSU.

Regards,

LuWayne Annos, 1980
WYSU Advisory Board Member

Reinhold KonradWYSU Announcer Identified as Late Reinhold Konrad

In the last edition, we featured a photo of a former radio announcer for WYSU who we could not identify. As luck would have it, Y magazine landed in the mailbox of an alumnus who happened to also be the mystery lad’s brother. Karl Konrad, 1979 and 1986, identified the announcer as the late Reinhold Konrad, also known as Chuck Drake, a local radio host for WBBW where he also worked. Sadly, this story has a tragic ending. Reinhold died in an automobile accident on May 20, 1973, one month to the day after marrying the former Margaret Hudak of Youngstown.

Karl also shared with us that Reinhold was born in Germany in 1948 and grew up in Youngstown. After attending broadcasting school and beginning a career in radio, he enrolled in YSU. He anticipated receiving his degree that same year.