2 Added to Communications & Media Arts Wall of Fame

BETHANY, W.Va. – The Bethany College Department of Communications and Media Arts recently added a pair of alumnae to its Wall of Fame, an honor bestowed for professional achievement in their field.

Linda S. Comins ’77, a 42-year employee of the Wheeling News Register and its sister paper, The Intelligencer, and Janeen Driscoll ’92, the director of communication and community affairs for the U.S. Golf Association, were recognized at ceremony during the department’s annual Communications Week.

Comins is the health writer and editor of the Boomers & Beyond section. Over her career, she has served as a staff writer, assistant city editor, and editor of the lifestyles section.

She is also the editor of Dayspring, the newspaper of the Episcopal Diocese of West Virginia; manages the Facebook page of St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church in Wheeling; and co-manages the Facebook page of the diocese.

In introducing Comins, assistant professor David DeIuliis described her as a consummate newswoman.

Comins called the Wall of Fame a great honor.

“Driving up here, I was thinking about how things have changed,” Comins said. “When I graduated from Bethany, journalism was a respected profession, now they’re the enemy of that state.”

She acknowledged that similarities remain.

Comins was a student at Bethany during the Watergate hearings, and was on campus for the Wall of Fame ceremony as an impeachment inquiry against President Donald Trump began.

Professor Rick Clancy ’76, also a member of the Wall of Fame, introduced Driscoll.

Driscoll described being included in the Wall of Fame as a “Mark Twain moment,” noting that she felt unworthy of the accolade.

The U.S. Golf Association is the governing body that conducts national championships and administers golf’s rules that define how the game is played worldwide. In her role with the organization, Driscoll has elevated the brand of golf’s national championships, built advocacy programs with golf’s leading organizations, and directed more than $1.5 million in grant deployment and co-op program management to support a healthier future for the game.

Before joining USGA, Driscoll worked for Billy Casper Golf/Buffalo Communications, ClubCorp/Pinehurst Resort, and Hobbs, Upchurch & Associates.

“Your education here goes far beyond your degree. A liberal arts education teaches you to be curious,” she said. “I was taught that [public relations] could be an honest profession.”

She added: “We know the foundation here at Bethany can help us go on to bigger and better things.”

Established in 2010, Bethany’s Communications and Media Arts Wall of Fame recognizes distinguished communications graduates. It includes 40 acclaimed graduates, including Dave Sims, play-by-play commentator for the Seattle Mariners, and former “CBS Morning News” anchor Faith Daniels.

Several former inductees, including Dean Iampietro ’91, a producer for WPXI-TV in Pittsburgh, and Bill Burr ’91, anchor for Fox 24 News in Charleston, S.C., attended this year’s ceremony.

ABOUT BETHANY COLLEGE

Bethany College, founded in 1840, is the oldest private college in West Virginia. The Bethany experience focuses on academic excellence in the area of liberal arts and prepares students for a lifetime of work and a life of significance.