The Studs Terkel Humanities Service Award - 2006
W. Karl Scroggin
Nominated By The Honorable Timothy J. Davlin
Springfield
W. Karl Scroggin
Karl Scroggin, host of Classics with Karl Scroggin on WUIS Public Radio, began his musical and radio career as the result of two life-changing events: his mastery of the viola de gamba in college and his job as a student employee at what was then station 91.9 WSSU. When the regular classical host left permanently, Mr. Scroggin stepped into her role and in 1984 his own show debuted. In total, Mr. Scroggin has logged nearly 200,000 hours on the air and out in the community helping to keep classical music and culture alive and well in Springfield. In his daily broadcast, he delves behind classical pieces of music for the human story of the composers and the periods in which they composed. His encyclopedic knowledge and whimsical style making the topic accessible to all ages without dumbing it down. Through WUIS's Music in Schools program, he regularly visits local fourth grade classes and shares his own performance of medieval instruments alongside archival handmade music books, doing all he can to nurture the next generation of classical musicians. To this end, in 2003 he launched the WUIS Young Musician's Concert Contest, a live competition for grade school and high school classical instrumentalists. In addition, Mr. Scroggin serves as the station's Fine Arts reporter, covering community artists working in all mediums and filing stories on topics ranging from the historic pipe organs at First Presbyterian Church to the local Annual Foreign Film Festival.Return to the archive listing for The Studs Terkel Humanities Service Award - 2006
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