Memphis may be best known as the home of the blues, but The University of Memphis is making a name for itself for producing talent in the communications field.
Professor Steven Ross and alumna Andrea Torrence received Emmys for their work with the Mid-America chapter of the National Association of Television Arts and Sciences.
Torrence, who graduated in 1990 with a degree in communication arts, works in St. Louis as an editor for the CBS affiliate KMPV-TV.
Torrence credits her success to one of her professors, Roxy Gee, associate professor of communications.
"I owe everything to Roxy," Torrence said. "She set me up with my first job."
Gee remembers Torrence as a delightful student and is thrilled with her success.
Torrence's first job in Memphis was with Channel 13 -- then an ABC affiliate. She said there had been massive layoffs at the station and Gee encouraged her to submit her resume. She ended up working there for two years before moving on to the larger market in St. Louis. She worked for another ABC affiliate there, KTVI Channel 2, for five years. She has been at her current job for three years.
Torrence won her Emmy for Best Editor for an investigative series called "Jefferson City, Sorry State of Affairs," which dealt with legislators breaking the law.
This is not Torrence's first Emmy. Including the one she has just won, she has been awarded a total of seven Emmys for her work.
Torrence said she almost did not go to the awards show, but her mother had never been to one, so she ended up taking her.
"It was nice because my mom was there," she said.
Ross, professor of communications, won an Emmy for his documentary "Oh Freedom After While."
The hour-long film deals with the 1939 strike by evicted sharecroppers in the Missouri Bootheel. The film was shown nationally on PBS last April.
Right before the awards, Ross had just finished a 10-day, 11-city tour to promote his documentary.
"I had been in more Comfort Inns than I wanted to," he said.
Ross said the most fun he had at the black-tie event was running into his former student, Torrence.
"I was so delighted she was up for an Emmy award and won it," Ross said.
Ross said he remembers Torrence as a very good student and a genuinely nice person.
He said when he got on stage to accept his award, the only thing he could talk about was how well Torrence had done and how great The U of M was.
Ross would like to submit an application for the National Emmy award, held in New York, but money is an issue.
"It's expensive to submit a film," he said. "It all comes out of pocket."
Ross also expressed his frustration with the lack of funding available for independent filmmakers.
"PBS is good for getting your film shown," Ross said. "They are useless for any financial help."
