WSDP Dr. Andrew Melin Distinguished Alumni Award – 2026 Recipeints

88.1 the Park will honor three deserving alums when the station presents the Dr. Andrew Melin WSDP Distinguished Alumni Award on Wednesday May 27, at 7:00 p.m. at the Italian American Club in Livonia.  The honor will be presented at the station’s annual banquet.

This year’s honorees are Bob DeLano, Plymouth-Salem ’75, Jim Heller, Plymouth-Salem ’83, and Kara Dupuy-McCauley, Plymouth-Canton ’00.

The award was created in the Spring of 2017 in honor of former WSDP Station Manager, Andrew Melin.  The purpose of the award is to recognize WSDP Alums that have used their experience at the station to further the mission of WSDP by achieving success in their chosen career field; investing in the lives of young people; or supporting their local community. It is the hope of the station’s management that the honorees will serve as role models for future students at 88.1.

In the spring of 1972 Bob was an unsuspecting sophomore in a public speaking class at Plymouth-Salem when Bonnie Dore pulled him out of the class and asked if he’d like to join the staff of the brand new student radio station. The answer was obviously “yes”. During his time at WSDP Bob hosted music shows, worked as a newscaster, did Salem and Canton basketball play-by-play, and produced live music events from the WSDP studio.

He went on to serve in the United States Army, first as a musician being the first male-member of the previously all-female Women’s Army Corps Band, and then as a broadcaster, with the Armed Forces Radio & Television Service, where his duties included morning DJ at AFKN in Seoul Korea. Seargent DeLano’s service record includes the Army Commendation Award for his service in Korea, and the Army’s Keith L. Ware Award for audio production and editing.

After his service, Bob’s radio career took him to Northern Wisconsin, Traverse City, the Kansas City side of Missouri, and the Reno/Lake Tahoe markets. It was during his time at Tahoe that he made the move from radio to television and quickly gained recognition as a video editor. During his time at Tahoe Bob also served as an adjunct professor teaching Broadcast History at Sierra Nevada College, oversaw the college’s TV Lab, served as the President of Lake Tahoe Public Television, and was recognized by United Press International for his broadcast writing and editing.

In the early 90’s Bob moved to Charlotte, North Carolina where he worked as General Manager of ESPN’s Charlotte studio operations. In 2017 he moved to the corporate video world with Wells Fargo and is currently a Vice President at the bank, managing their video engineering and operations, producing over 200 live webcasts each year.

He continues to share his experience with college students in the region and is sought after as a broadcast engineering consultant for the Big South, ASUN, SoCon and Ohio Valley conferences, and can still be found on the occasional weekend mixing audio or running replays in a remote truck for ESPN.

Jim Heller is a veteran diplomat and journalist.  He served at WSDP from 1980 to 1983, working alongside extraordinary classmates, and with legends like John Seidelman, Jeff Cardinal, and Andy Melin.  His time at the station had a profound impact on his life and career.

After graduation from Plymouth-Salem, Jim served as an Army broadcast journalist, spending two years doing radio and TV news at the American Forces Korea Network.  Jim earned his BA and MA at the University of Michigan, studied and worked in China, and then joined CNN’s Washington bureau as a newswriter and producer.

After marrying his wife Lisa, a Foreign Service Officer, Jim entered the State Department, and has served in Washington, and multiple tours overseas, including as U.S. Consul General in Shanghai and Charge d’Affaires at the U.S. Embassy in Seoul.  As Jim has noted to students over the years, he still uses the writing and communication skills he learned at WSDP every day.

Kara Dupuy-McCauley is a musician and physician whose career bridges the arts and medicine. She was 88.1’s Production Director, and while in high school she worked for 105.1, a Detroit area alternative rock station as a production staff member.  After graduating from the University of Michigan with a Bachelor of Music in Music and Technology and Piano Performance, she toured internationally as a keyboardist with the Canadian band Boys Night Out.

She later transitioned to medicine, becoming a pulmonologist and sleep medicine specialist. Kara continues to maintain an active musical life, performing with her synth-pop band Enemy in the Sky and as a pianist in a classical piano trio.

PAST HONOREES
2017 – June Kirchgatter, Plymouth-Salem ’83
2018 – Rob Milford, Plymouth ’73, and Glenn Bar, Plymouth-Canton ’82
2019 – Mike Schulte, Plymouth-Salem ’78, Scott Herrold Plymouth-Salem ’98, and Jake Bugeja, Starkweather ’02
2020 – David Snyder, Plymouth-Salem ’82 and Patty Williamson, Plymouth Salem ’88
2021 – Paul Sincock, Plymouth-Salem ’75, Todd Chatman, Plymouth-Salem ’83, and Greg Angel, Salem ‘03
2022 – Tim McGuire, Plymouth-Salem ’84, Brook Eddy, Plymouth-Canton ’92, Denny Kapp, Catholic Central ’98
2023 – Kara McGuire, Plymouth-Canton ’94, Chris Sample, Plymouth-Canton ’96, and Becky Lobenherz, Plymouth Salem ’02
2024 – Paul Trinka, Plymouth ’74, Lisa Preddy, Plymouth-Salem ’83, and Brian Stackpoole, Plymouth-Salem ’94
2025 – Bret Julyk, Plymouth-Canton ’89, Noelle Wright, Plymouth-Salem ’86, and Nick Gismondi, Plymouth-Salem ’00