SMC Journalism & PR Hall of Fame Award – 2025

Diane Larson

For more than 35 years, Northwest Ohio has counted on Bowling Green State University Alumna Diane Larson for news about the community, the state, the nation and the world. For more than 35 years, we have also counted on Diane to help train the broadcast interns we send her way. Diane is an award-winning journalist who's been honored with Emmy awards, Associated Press awards and Edward R. Murrow awards for her work on-air. She has anchored newscasts that have earned dozens of awards as well. She received the Golden Touchstone Award from the Toledo Press Club, was named a YWCA Milestones honoree, and one of the 100 Women of Influence by the Girl Scouts of Western Ohio. Diane was the first living woman and only the second woman ever inducted into the Ohio Associated Press Broadcasters Hall of Fame. Among her more memorable assignments were traveling to China to cover the Panda exhibit at the Toledo Zoo; going to Israel for a history-making visit by the WNIT Champion University of Toledo Rockets, being in Washington for President Bill Clinton's first inauguration; a one-on-one interview with President Barack Obama during his run for re-election in 2012 and dinner at the White House with a group of journalists in 2017. Diane has moderated a number of political debates which were broadcast live on 13ABC and in some cases, nationwide on C-SPAN. And she had the exciting opportunity to report from the red carpet at the Oscars. What you see on TV is only part of what Diane has done in the community. She's helped raise tens of millions of dollars for local organizations like the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, The Muscular Dystrophy Association, Taste of the Nation Toledo and ZESToledo which are programs that help eliminate childhood hunger in our community. She has also worked with the Adopt American Network which finds homes for children in need and many, many others. She regularly emcees the YWCA Milestones Award which honors outstanding women in our community, the Marathon Classic Women's Summit and the tournament's charity luncheon and as well as 13ABC's Hope for the Holidays campaign which collects toys for kids who may not otherwise get presents during the holidays. Diane Larson's career is a beacon of hard work and resilience for BGSU students, showing them that with perseverance and passion, they too can achieve their dreams. Her story moves students to believe in their own potential, inspiring them to lead with purpose, embrace every opportunity, and create a lasting impact in the world around them.