Diehm receives Don Marsh Scholarship

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Rebecca Diehm, a graduate student pursuing a master’s degree at West Virginia University’s Perley Isaac Reed School of Journalism, is the 2011 recipient of the Don Marsh Scholarship in Healthcare Writing. The scholarship includes a nine-hour tuition waiver and a paid internship in the Planning, Marketing and Communications Office at WVU Health Sciences.

Diehm is responsible for writing press releases about WVU health news and events. She will also help with media events at the Health Sciences Center and WVU Healthcare. 

This May, Diehm received her B.S. in public relations from WVU. Currently, she is enrolled in graduate summer classes and starting her internship at the HSC. Outside of academics, she enjoys playing tennis and reading in her spare time. 

The scholarship honors West Virginia journalist Don Marsh, who was employed at the Charleston Gazette for 40 years – first as a reporter, then as an editor and columnist. Marsh gained a national reputation for exposing arrogance, corruption and hypocrisy through his work as a journalist. He became editor of the Charleston Gazette in 1976 and won The American Society of Newspaper Editors Distinguished Writing Award for commentary in 1987.

After his retirement from the daily newspaper, Marsh was a commentator on the West Virginia MetroNews radio network until his death in 1999.

Diehm is the daughter of Jim and Cathy Diehm of Lititz, Pa., and a 2007 graduate of Warwick High School.