WSLS chief photojournalist receives Penn State alumnus achievement award

News release
Published: May 20, 2008

Pennsylvania College of Technology (Penn State) has presented a Distinguished Alumnus Award to Mel Tra and Alumnus/Alumna Achievement Awards to Jill E. Hoffines-Erb and Timothy E. Hess. The awards were presented during commencement ceremonies May 16-17 at the Community Arts Center in Williamsport.

The Distinguished Alumnus/Alumna Award is given annually in recognition of personal and professional accomplishments, contributions toward furthering the efforts of the college and the high regard in which the recipient is held in the community.

Alumnus/Alumna Achievement Awards are presented annually to Penn College graduates from the past 10 years. The award recognizes noteworthy career accomplishments that demonstrate the importance of a Penn College education and honors graduates who continue to support the mission of the college.

Tra, of Williamsport, is the owner of Tra Electric Inc. Hoffines-Erb is the owner of Floral Designs of Mount Joy. Hess is chief photojournalist for WSLS TV, an NBC affiliate in Roanoke, Va.

Hess earned an associate degree in broadcast communications from Penn College in 1998. After working for a year as a producer/editor for a local cable-advertising company, Hess moved into television news. His first position was as a photographer with WBTW TV in Myrtle Beach, S.C. One year later, he began his employment with WSLS.

He has covered many national news stories in recent years, including the tragic shootings at Virginia Tech University in 2007, Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and Hurricane Isabel in 2003 (for Media General Inc.), the D.C. sniper shootings, a plane crash that killed members of the Hendricks Motorsports family, and the Jennifer Short murder case. His live shots have been broadcast by NBC’s “Today,” CNN and MSNBC.

Hess has been honored with Associated Press awards for “best spot news coverage” and “best documentary/in-depth report,” as well as Emmy Awards from the Washington, D.C., chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences for features on a “bicycle boot camp” for bike-patrol police officers in Roanoke and home smoke alarms/detectors that fail to wake younger children. He is a member of the National Press Photographers Association.

Hess volunteers for the American Cancer Society Relay for Life, St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital and the United Way. He also competes on a softball team that plays in various benefit tournaments.

For more information about the Alumni Relations Office at Penn College, visit http://www.pct.edu/alumni, e-mail or call toll-free 1-877-PCT-ALUM