New memorial scholarship fund honors Pat Barry
Springfield native was a beloved radio personality and mentor.
A memorial scholarship fund has been established to honor a Springfield native who was a staple on Cincinnati area airwaves for decades.
The scholarship is designed to give a boost to a younger generation of broadcasters as well as help promote worthy causes. It is named after Pat Barry who got his start in broadcasting at the age of 16 in 1968. He passed away this year from complications from COVID19 at the age of 69.
Barry was well known to listeners in the Cincinnati area, but his career also included local television.
His decades in broadcasting range from the “rock wars” that shook the radio landscape, a run as a weatherman alongside the likes of Jerry Springer and Norma Rachid and covering the Findlay Market Opening Day parade.
Barry was also a former spokesperson for the Ruth Lyons Children’s Fund. In a news release, longtime friend, Bina Roy, a former executive news manager at
WKEF/WRGT TV in Dayton, said Barry was an inspiration to her and others.
“What you sounded like and your willingness to work were the abiding concerns. (Barry) had those nailed. Over the decades, (Barry) blazed a trail that is no longer possible without a higher education. To that end we would like to announce the launch of the Pat Barry Memorial Scholarship Fund,” Roy wrote.
“Over the decades, (Barry) found himself surrounded by a cadre of loyal fans, from Hall of Famers to countless up and coming broadcasters. Their dedication was rooted in (Barry’s) lifetime of helping others, something that you help to continue.”
The scholarship’s goal is to ensure that Barry will continue to have an impact on the Cincinnati area and its people.
Donations can be made at www.cincinnatischolarshipfoundation.org and clicking “donate” on the upper righthand corner.
Donors can also send a check to the Cincinnati Scholarship Foundation in honor of Pat Barry to 324 E. 4th Street, 2nd Floor, Cincinnati, Ohio 45202.