Joe Biedrzycki ’75 followed a poster – and his instincts – to an organizational meeting of the fledgling WACR-FM (Assumption Radio) his first week on campus as a sophomore transfer student. Today, his voice recordings are being preserved and distributed by the Library of Congress National Library Service for the Blind and Handicapped.
“After 20 years on the air at FM rock radio stations, 10 years wearing many hats at several advertising agencies, and 25 years owning and operating a recording studio business, apparently I am finally ‘good enough for government work,’” Biedrzycki quipped. “Twenty-five years after I first auditioned for this work and was rejected, through pure serendipity I got the chance to try again. And they approved me – first just for nonfiction and since (by re-auditioning) for fiction with character dialogue.”
Biedrzycki records at Minuteman Talking Books near his home in New Hampshire. Final productions are then formatted and sent to Washington, DC, made available to visually or physically impaired subscribers nationwide, and preserved in the National Archives.
Titles recorded to date include Merlin’s Guide to the Universe, Hannibal, Boston Strong, and The Big Book of Jack the Ripper, among others.
Biedrzycki said the foundation of a strong liberal arts education at Assumption gave him the versatility to communicate on such a wide variety of topics eruditely. And the communications skills adapted from his studies at Assumption sealed the deal on “talking for a living … and living for talking.”
“Good communication is one of the keys to success and happiness,” he said.
