Susan Audé
Encyclopedia
Susan Audé is a retired American television news anchor in Columbia, South Carolina
.
1952 in Fort Lee, Virginia
into a military family.
Audé was paralyzed in an auto accident during her junior year at Erskine College
, and suffered severe internal injuries. She recovered, but has spent most of her life since then in a wheelchair. Following a year of hospitalization and rehabilitation, she went on to finish her college education. She then went onto earn a Master of Mass Communications degree from the University of South Carolina
.
During her career Audé was actively involved in many activities and organizations and upon her retirement in 2006 she was awarded the state's highest civilian honor: The Order of the Palmetto for her contributions to the state. Audé has often spoken of how her spiritual faith shaped her life. As a college student she was actively involved in what was then referred to as the Jesus Movement
. In 1995, while attending a Methodist Church where she was teaching Sunday School
and attended seminary classes, Audé began about three years of study of the Bahá'í Faith
before converting. The conversion brought awareness of her social circle having limited exposure to people of other races, and provided an optimism of the future of humanity and affirmed her sense of ethics for journalists.
Audé married Kevin Fisher in 1982. She was known as Susan Audé Fisher on-air until their 2001 divorce. They have a grown daughter, Blythe.
. "If I went to cover a story that was on a second floor of a building that didn't have elevators or ramps," Audé said in a 2006 interview on the Today Show, "I couldn't go back to the newsroom and say 'I couldn't get the story.'" Cameramen would often have to carry Audé and her wheelchair to the source of the story.
Two years after her obtaining her master's degree, she joined WIS-TV in Columbia as a reporter and weekend weathercaster. Within two years, she was a weekend anchor, and by 1982 she joined longtime anchorman Ed Carter on the weekday newscasts as the first full-time female anchor in Columbia television history. She and Carter were together for 16 years until Carter's retirement in 1998—longer than any anchor team in the two Carolinas at the time.
Her life and accomplishments have been the subject of stories in Good Housekeeping
and Ms. magazine
s, as well as on CNN
and Lifetime
cable channels and Sally Jesse Raphael. In the late 1980s Audé appeared in two films - Staying Together (1989) (playing herself), and in Distortions (1987) as Mourner #9.
Audé announced her retirement on February 1, 2006. She was one of the longest-tenured female anchors at a television station in the South.
Since retiring she has traveled, given talks, and worked part-time at Bahá'í Radio, WLGI
, in South Carolina including interviews of Bahá'ís for broadcast.
Audé has recently become active in conservative causes. She was emcee at an April 2010 tea party rally in front of the South Carolina Statehouse, and has recently launched a conservative-leaning blog, SassToday.
College of Journalism's "Diamond Circle", joining a national group of esteemed individuals chosen for outstanding contributions to their field. The Governor's Commission on Women honored Audé with its 2001 Woman of Achievement Award which is presented for "remarkable accomplishments and commitment to our state".
Columbia, South Carolina
Columbia is the state capital and largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The population was 129,272 according to the 2010 census. Columbia is the county seat of Richland County, but a portion of the city extends into neighboring Lexington County. The city is the center of a metropolitan...
.
Personal life
Audé was born on HalloweenHalloween
Hallowe'en , also known as Halloween or All Hallows' Eve, is a yearly holiday observed around the world on October 31, the night before All Saints' Day...
1952 in Fort Lee, Virginia
Fort Lee, Virginia
Fort Lee is a census-designated place in Prince George County, Virginia, United States. The population was 7,269 at the 2000 census.Fort Lee is a United States Army post and headquarters of the U.S. Army Combined Arms Support Command / Sustainment Center of Excellence , the U.S. Army Quartermaster...
into a military family.
Audé was paralyzed in an auto accident during her junior year at Erskine College
Erskine College
Erskine College is a four year, Christian liberal arts college located in Due West, South Carolina.-Early history:Established in 1839 by the Associate Reformed Synod of the South as an academy for men, Erskine College became the first four year, church-related college in South Carolina...
, and suffered severe internal injuries. She recovered, but has spent most of her life since then in a wheelchair. Following a year of hospitalization and rehabilitation, she went on to finish her college education. She then went onto earn a Master of Mass Communications degree from the University of South Carolina
University of South Carolina
The University of South Carolina is a public, co-educational research university located in Columbia, South Carolina, United States, with 7 surrounding satellite campuses. Its historic campus covers over in downtown Columbia not far from the South Carolina State House...
.
During her career Audé was actively involved in many activities and organizations and upon her retirement in 2006 she was awarded the state's highest civilian honor: The Order of the Palmetto for her contributions to the state. Audé has often spoken of how her spiritual faith shaped her life. As a college student she was actively involved in what was then referred to as the Jesus Movement
Jesus movement
The Jesus movement was a movement in Christianity beginning on the West Coast of the United States in the late 1960s and early 1970s and spreading primarily through North America and Europe, before dying out by the early 1980s. It was the major Christian element within the hippie counterculture,...
. In 1995, while attending a Methodist Church where she was teaching Sunday School
Sunday school
Sunday school is the generic name for many different types of religious education pursued on Sundays by various denominations.-England:The first Sunday school may have been opened in 1751 in St. Mary's Church, Nottingham. Another early start was made by Hannah Ball, a native of High Wycombe in...
and attended seminary classes, Audé began about three years of study of the Bahá'í Faith
Bahá'í Faith
The Bahá'í Faith is a monotheistic religion founded by Bahá'u'lláh in 19th-century Persia, emphasizing the spiritual unity of all humankind. There are an estimated five to six million Bahá'ís around the world in more than 200 countries and territories....
before converting. The conversion brought awareness of her social circle having limited exposure to people of other races, and provided an optimism of the future of humanity and affirmed her sense of ethics for journalists.
Audé married Kevin Fisher in 1982. She was known as Susan Audé Fisher on-air until their 2001 divorce. They have a grown daughter, Blythe.
Career
Audé entered the news business 12 years before the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990
The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 is a law that was enacted by the U.S. Congress in 1990. It was signed into law on July 26, 1990, by President George H. W. Bush, and later amended with changes effective January 1, 2009....
. "If I went to cover a story that was on a second floor of a building that didn't have elevators or ramps," Audé said in a 2006 interview on the Today Show, "I couldn't go back to the newsroom and say 'I couldn't get the story.'" Cameramen would often have to carry Audé and her wheelchair to the source of the story.
Two years after her obtaining her master's degree, she joined WIS-TV in Columbia as a reporter and weekend weathercaster. Within two years, she was a weekend anchor, and by 1982 she joined longtime anchorman Ed Carter on the weekday newscasts as the first full-time female anchor in Columbia television history. She and Carter were together for 16 years until Carter's retirement in 1998—longer than any anchor team in the two Carolinas at the time.
Her life and accomplishments have been the subject of stories in Good Housekeeping
Good Housekeeping
Good Housekeeping is a women's magazine owned by the Hearst Corporation, featuring articles about women's interests, product testing by The Good Housekeeping Institute, recipes, diet, health as well as literary articles. It is well known for the "Good Housekeeping Seal," popularly known as the...
and Ms. magazine
Ms. magazine
Ms. is an American feminist magazine co-founded by American feminist and activist Gloria Steinem and founding editor Letty Cottin Pogrebin together with founding editors Patricia Carbine, Joanne Edgar, Nina Finkelstein, and Mary Peacock, that first appeared in 1971 as an insert in New York magazine...
s, as well as on CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
and Lifetime
Lifetime Television
Lifetime Television, often referred to as Lifetime TV, or most commonly, Lifetime, is an American cable television specialty channel devoted to movies, sitcoms and dramas, all of which are either geared toward women or feature women in lead roles. The cable network is owned by A&E Television Networks...
cable channels and Sally Jesse Raphael. In the late 1980s Audé appeared in two films - Staying Together (1989) (playing herself), and in Distortions (1987) as Mourner #9.
Audé announced her retirement on February 1, 2006. She was one of the longest-tenured female anchors at a television station in the South.
Since retiring she has traveled, given talks, and worked part-time at Bahá'í Radio, WLGI
WLGI
WLGI, known as "Radio Bahá'í", is licensed to Hemingway, South Carolina, and broadcasts at 90.9 FM. The station broadcasts a variety of programming, both religious and secular, targeting mostly African-Americans. It is a college radio station, licensed by the FCC for noncommercial Class C...
, in South Carolina including interviews of Bahá'ís for broadcast.
Audé has recently become active in conservative causes. She was emcee at an April 2010 tea party rally in front of the South Carolina Statehouse, and has recently launched a conservative-leaning blog, SassToday.
Theatre career
Audè played Madame Rosemonde in Workshop Theatre of South Carolinahttp://www.workshoptheatre.com's January/February 2009 production of Les Liaisons Dangereuses (Dangerous Liaisons).Awards and honors
Audé received dozens of honors for her work both as an anchor and reporter, including Newscaster of the Year from the South Carolina Broadcasters Association, and that same organization's prestigious Master's Award. In 1998, Susan was named to the University of South CarolinaUniversity of South Carolina
The University of South Carolina is a public, co-educational research university located in Columbia, South Carolina, United States, with 7 surrounding satellite campuses. Its historic campus covers over in downtown Columbia not far from the South Carolina State House...
College of Journalism's "Diamond Circle", joining a national group of esteemed individuals chosen for outstanding contributions to their field. The Governor's Commission on Women honored Audé with its 2001 Woman of Achievement Award which is presented for "remarkable accomplishments and commitment to our state".