Adrianne Baughns-Wallace is a television journalist, the first African-American television anchor in New England, and a member of the Connecticut Women's Hall of Fame.

Early years

Baughns-Wallace was born in The Bronx, New York,[1] and raised in New York City.[2] 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.[1] She also served as a pharmacy specialist in the Air Force.[2]

Career

Television

Baughns-Wallace began working in television in Albany, New York, in 1973.[3] 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.[1] In October 1978, Baughns was named co-anchor of WFSB's 6 p.m. Eyewitness News broadcast,[4] becoming the first female anchor of an evening newscast in Connecticut.[5] She left WSFB in June 1982 to launch a TV production company of her own.[3] 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.[6]

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.[5] 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.[5]

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 ..."[7]

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."[8]

Personal life

Baughns-Wallace is divorced from her first husband and has a son.[3] Her second husband was Lenzy Wallace, a manager of diversity and change at ITT Hartford,[7] who died in 2021.[9]

Recognition

In 2000, Baughns-Wallace was inducted into the Connecticut Women's Hall of Fame,[10] "an honor given to those who have broken the barriers for women in a job, doing most of their work while in Connecticut."[11] Her credentials included being the first African-American TV anchor in New England and the first female TV anchor in Connecticut.[11] She also received the National Council of Negro Women's Distinguished Service Award.[3]

References

  1. ^ a b c "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
  2. ^ a b 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
  3. ^ a b c d 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
  4. ^ "(photo caption)". Hartford Courant. Connecticut, Hartford. October 8, 1978. p. TV Week-31. Retrieved August 18, 2018 – via Newspapers.com. open access
  5. ^ a b c 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
  6. ^ 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
  7. ^ a b Bloom, Lary (April 26, 1996). "Lary Bloom". Hartford Courant. Connecticut, Hartford. p. Northeast Magazine 6. Retrieved August 20, 2018 – via Newspapers.com. open access
  8. ^ 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
  9. ^ "Lenzy Roman Wallace, Jr. obituary". Raymer-Kepner. Retrieved 23 March 2023.
  10. ^ "Adrianne Baughns-Wallace". Connecticut Women's Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on 20 August 2018. Retrieved 20 August 2018.
  11. ^ a b 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

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