James D. Ausenbaugh

James Driscoll Ausenbaugh was born on December 17, 1926. James was a native of Dawson Springs, Kentucky and earned his degree in journalism from the University of Kentucky in 1952. He started his career at weekly newspapers in Princeton and Russellville, Kentucky. He then moved to The Evansville Press before taking a position at The Courier Journal in 1954, where he worked as copy editor, assistant city editor, city editor, and regional editor. In 1958, he was awarded the International Press Institute Fellowship to go to New Zealand. From there, he spent two years at The Stars and Stripes in Germany, where he became copy editor, telegraph editor, and news editor and lived as a civilian in the mid 1960’s.

James then came to WKU in 1976, where he worked as a professor of journalism until retiring in 1991. At the Hill, he was very active with WKU’s student newspaper, the College Heights Herald. During his career, he established a statewide newsgathering operation, set up gavel-to-gavel legislative coverage, and led numerous writing and editing seminars for newspapers and institutes around the nation. He was also recognized for his work and named Teacher of the Year at WKU in 1986 and inducted into the UK School of Journalism and Media Hall of Fame in 1990. He was married to Faye Ausenbaugh until his passing in November 2017.

Upon his retirement, Jo-Ann Albers, the WKU Journalism and Broadcasting Department Head, established the James D. Ausenbaugh Journalism Scholarship Fund. The fund serves to assist deserving WKU students who are members of either the College Heights Herald or the Talisman, WKU’s student magazine. Through this fund, James’ legacy on the Hill continues in perpetuity.