Scholarship fund set up to honor late Springfield native, celebrated radio personality

Longtime local broadcasting legend Pat Barry died this year of complications from COVID-19. CONTRIBUTED / WCPO

Longtime local broadcasting legend Pat Barry died this year of complications from COVID-19. CONTRIBUTED / WCPO

A memorial scholarship fund has been established to honor a Springfield native who was a staple on Cincinnati area airwaves for decades.

The scholarship is designed to give a boost to a younger generation of broadcasters as well as help promote worthy causes. It is named after Pat Barry who got his start in broadcasting at the age of 16 in 1968. He passed away this year from complications from COVID-19 at the age of 69.

Barry was well known to listeners in the Cincinnati area, but his career also included local television.

His decades in broadcasting range from the “rock wars” that shook the radio landscape, a run as a weatherman alongside the likes of Jerry Springer and Norma Rachid and covering the Findlay Market Opening Day parade.

Barry was also a former spokesperson for the Ruth Lyons Children’s Fund. This information was outlined in a recent news release from Bina Roy, a longtime friend of Barry.

“What you sounded like and your willingness to work were the abiding concerns. (Barry) had those nailed. Over the decades, (Barry) blazed a trail that is no longer possible without a higher education. To that end we would like to announce the launch of the Pat Barry Memorial Scholarship Fund,” Roy wrote in the release.

“Over the decades, (Barry) found himself surrounded by a cadre of loyal fans, from Hall of Famers to countless up and coming broadcasters. Their dedication was rooted in (Barry’s) lifetime of helping others, something that you help to continue,” the release stated.

The goal of the scholarship is to ensure that Barry will continue to have an impact on the Cincinnati area and its people.

Those interested can donate to the scholarship fund by visiting www.cincinnatischolarshipfoundation.org and clicking donate on the upper righthand corner.

People can also send a check to the Cincinnati Scholarship Foundation in honor of Pat Barry to 324 E. 4th Street, 2nd Floor, Cincinnati, Ohio 45202.

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