A&M-Commerce Retired Faculty Member Honored By Tab

COMMERCE, Texas — Dr. Gerald Haskins, retired Texas A&M University-Commerce faculty member, has been named Educator of the Year by the Texas Association of Broadcasters.

Haskins, now of Corpus Christi and who retired from A&M-Commerce in 2004, was honored at the TAB 55th Annual Awards Gala in Austin on Aug. 7.

The former Harrisonburg, Va., broadcaster started working at A&M-Commerce in 1984 where he served as co-director of broadcasting with Dr. Robert Haskins.

Haskins was a positive influence on many A&M-Commerce radio-television students. “He was a great instructor,” KETR operations manager Kevin Jefferies said of Haskins.

“Dr. Haskins knew what your strengths were. One of the best things about the A&M-Commerce radio-television program is that you can do what you excel in and want to do,” said Jefferies. KETR is the 100,000-watt FM station on the A&M-Commerce campus.

Haskins became active in Texas Association of Broadcast Educators and served as their representative to the TAB board for at least six years.

In addition to teaching, he managed KKOM, the campus radio station and hosted the local television public affairs program, “Talk of the Town,” for 20 years.

Haskins attended Indiana University, majoring in theatre. After college, he joined the U.S. Air Force and while stationed in Germany he became involved in Armed Forces Radio and Television Service.

Returning to college in 1966 on the G.I. Bill, he majored in radio-television. In 1970, he was hired to direct the broadcast division at Madison College in Harrisburg, Va. and four years later left teaching to run an FM station in Harrisonburg.

Haskins earned a Ph.D. in mass communication from Florida State University in 1978 and began working at A&M-Commerce in 1984.