Chapman Radio honors founding legacy of the late Professor Doetkott

The late Professor Richard Doetkott was remembered for his dedication to students and his passion for radio studies during a plaque dedication ceremony at Chapman Radio’s studios Thursday, May 9.

Doetkott started the station more than 40 years ago and saw it through its beginnings and its struggles, employing both clout and creativity, recalled his widow, former Chapman University Professor Pat Doetkott, Ph.D. But she said his greatest joy came from seeing students step in and take the creative reins.

“It was the students’ enthusiasm, and they did take it over and it was marvelous,” Pat Doetkott said at the plaque unveiling.

“He liked media. He just loved it. But radio was always his greatest love,” she said.

Today that enthusiasm continues to guide Chapman Radio, located in the basement of Henley Hall. As an Internet radio station, Chapman Radio streams a variety of programs hosted by students and faculty and was ranked among the top 20 most popular college radio stations in the country by the Princeton Review.