Published: July 10, 2007 10:14 am            

An interesting career in broadcasting

He came to Stillwater to manage the local public radio station and later served for four years as department head of the college of journalism and broadcasting. Prior to that he was in broadcasting for 25 years before he decided to back to school.

The professor that never had a grade appealed was given a C in a speech class he took in undergraduate school. Yes, after 25 years of broadcasting his voice, Dr. Ed Paulin was given a C in speech.

“It was a whole new business to suddenly leave the broadcasting business and go to school.” he said.

He went back to school at the University of Kentucky at the age of 40. “Honestly, I think the hardest thing was beginning as a freshman.”

He sold everything and left Marion, Ohio in 1971 to come to Stillwater and manage KOSU after the radio station received a grant and boosted its power to 100,000 watts for the first time. He said it was his first chance to manage a radio station.

He managed the radio station for four years before an opportunity to guest lecture drew him into teaching.

He started his broadcasting career November 1, 1942, at WCMI in Ashland, Kentucky. He said he got the job hanging around at the bowling alley. He started broadcasting sports in 1943 and sent accounts of football and basketball games, harness horse racing, hockey and pro-wrestling over the airwaves.

He said the highlight of his stay in WMRN in Marion, Ohio, was taking Jack Nichlaus to his first national tournament in Fargo, North Dakota. Jack got beat in an 18-hole playoff.

There were also no women on the air in 1942. Paulin said at best you would find a cooking a show once a week.

He retired as a full professor in 1990 and said he likes living in Stillwater and has no plans to leave. Paulin earned both as masters and doctorate in education from Oklahoma State University. He has been married to his wife Micki for 58 years, and Stillwater is their home.

His Stillwater involvement includes serving on the board of Project Heart, as a volunteer at the hospital and on the Old Central Board. He said he and his wife attend all home basketball games as well.

He said he has his wife and the superintendent of schools at the time in Marion Ohio, to thank for encouraging him to go to college. They did so after he tried to find better jobs without success.

He still has recorded copies of his work from as far back as 1949. He said some of those recordings include interviews with Adolph Rupp and Pete Maravich.

Though he may have broadcast his last play-by-play in 1966, he has both taught play-by-play announcing and also was the press box announcer for the 14 years.

He said the university has a scholarship that has been started in his name. In the two years the Ed Paulin sports scholarship has been given out, he has never been invited to the award ceremony.

        

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