Adrianne Baughns-Wallace

Last updated
Adrianne Baughns-Wallace
Born
Adrianne Eugene Thomas

1944 (age 81–82)
Education University at Albany, SUNY Majored in communications
Honours Connecticut Women's Hall of Fame (2000)

Adrianne Baughns-Wallace (born in 1944) was a television journalist, the first African-American television anchor in New England, and a member of the Connecticut Women's Hall of Fame. [1]

Contents

Early years

Baughns-Wallace was born in The Bronx, New York, [2] and raised in New York City. [3] She was educated at St. Colombo School, Washington Irving School, and University at Albany, SUNY, where she majored in communications. Before becoming a broadcast journalist, she worked for a telephone company, an automobile agency, and an airline. [2] She also served as a pharmacy specialist in the Air Force. [3]

Career

Television

Baughns-Wallace began working in television in Albany, New York, in 1973. [4] In August 1974, she left WAST in Albany and joined WFSB in Hartford, Connecticut. Her initial work at WFSB included writing and presenting the 7:30 a.m. News Sign and being co-anchor of its noon Eyewitness News broadcast. [2] In October 1978, Baughns was named co-anchor of WFSB's 6 p.m. Eyewitness News broadcast, [5] becoming the first female anchor of an evening newscast in Connecticut. [6] She left WSFB in June 1982 to launch a TV production company of her own. [4] The departure was a lifestyle choice. "I really needed to define for myself what my son needed and what I needed for our lives," Baughns-Wallace said. [7]

After leaving WFSB, in addition to being an independent TV producer, Baughns-Wallace was the host of Essence, a program for black women that was broadcast on WPIX in New York City. [6] In 1983, Baughns-Wallace joined the staff of WTNH in New Haven, Connecticut, tasked with helping to begin Newscope, a program that blended local stories with nationally syndicated material. [6]

Operation Fuel

In the late 1980s, Baughns-Wallace became director of Operation Fuel (OF), a nonprofit, private institution. OF, a program of the Christian Conference of Connecticut, provides funds (via a checkoff program of Connecticut Light & Power Company) to help the poor, elderly, and disabled to pay their utility bills. A 1996 article in the Hartford Courant's Sunday magazine commented, "... she's found her mission and purpose in life ..." [8]

State government

In 2001, Baughns-Wallace was director of financial education for the Connecticut treasurer's office. Her job entailed teaching citizens of Connecticut about responsible financial planning. A newspaper article described her as "part facilitator, part advocate and part cheerleader." [9]

Personal life

Baughns-Wallace is divorced from her first husband and has a son. [4] Her second husband was Lenzy Wallace, a manager of diversity and change at ITT Hartford, [8] who died in 2021. [10]

Recognition

In 2000, Baughns-Wallace was inducted into the Connecticut Women's Hall of Fame, [11] "an honor given to those who have broken the barriers for women in a job, doing most of their work while in Connecticut." [12] Her credentials included being the first African-American TV anchor in New England and the first female TV anchor in Connecticut. [12] She also received the National Council of Negro Women's Distinguished Service Award. [4]

References

  1. ↑ "Adrianne Baughns-Wallace". CT Women’s Hall of Fame. Retrieved 2024-05-08.
  2. 1 2 3 "Former Albany newswoman anchors two WFSB programs". Bennington Banner. Vermont, Bennington. September 7, 1974. p. 18. Retrieved August 18, 2018– via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  3. 1 2 Birchard, John (February 8, 1981). "The Reluctant Celebrity". Hartford Courant. Connecticut, Hartford. p. Hartford Courant Magazine 4. Retrieved August 20, 2018– via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  4. 1 2 3 4 Bilello, Suzanne (March 12, 1982). "Adrianne Baughns To Quit Channel 3 News on June 4". Hartford Courant. Connecticut, Hartford. p. 17. Retrieved August 20, 2018– via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  5. ↑ "(photo caption)". Hartford Courant. Connecticut, Hartford. October 8, 1978. p. TV Week-31. Retrieved August 18, 2018– via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  6. 1 2 3 Gunther, Marc (July 15, 1983). "WTNH Hiring Baughns for Features Spot". Hartford Courant. Connecticut, Hartford. p. D 10. Retrieved August 19, 2018– via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  7. ↑ Weiss, Tara (September 9, 2001). "Out of the Spotlight". Hartford Courant. Connecticut, Hartford. p. H 1. Retrieved August 20, 2018– via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  8. 1 2 Bloom, Lary (April 26, 1996). "Lary Bloom". Hartford Courant. Connecticut, Hartford. p. Northeast Magazine 6. Retrieved August 20, 2018– via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  9. ↑ Weiss, Tara (September 9, 2001). "Baughns-Wallace Prefers A Position Out Of The Spotlight". Hartford Courant. Connecticut, Hartford. p. H 8. Retrieved August 20, 2018– via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  10. ↑ "Lenzy Roman Wallace, Jr. obituary". Raymer-Kepner. Retrieved 23 March 2023.
  11. ↑ "Adrianne Baughns-Wallace". Connecticut Women's Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on 20 August 2018. Retrieved 20 August 2018.
  12. 1 2 Neyer, Constance (May 7, 2000). "First in Flight, First in Print". Hartford Courant. Connecticut, Hartford. p. H 1. Retrieved August 20, 2018– via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
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