Jack Wagner Scholarship

The John Russell Wagner Scholarship Endowment
for KSJS-FM Students

Bay Area magician, author, and broadcaster John (Jack) Wagner, 1916-1988, left a generous legacy to his alma mater, San Jose State College (now University) where in the 1930s he majored in radio engineering, speech, English and dramatics.

He established the Wagner Memorial Scholarship Fund, to be used by the department of TV-Radio-Film-Theatre to support student broadcasters at KSJS-FM.

Each year our top student receives a scholarship stipend from the interest earned on this endowment.

Mr. Wagner began his broadcast career at KQW in San Jose, the nation's first radio station. He moved in 1937 to KHUB in Watsonville, and later worked in radio and electronics during WWII. In 1947 he managed Yreka radio station KSYC, was Program Director of KNBC (now KNBR) from 1953-1967, and concluded his career as the Director of Broadcast Operations at KCBS from 1968-1981. He taught radio courses at Stanford.

Although primarily a broadcaster, Mr. Wagner was a historian and author, writing the Gold Mines of California, and Nevada Ghost Towns and Mining Camps. He also wrote about California railroads in 1956, Short Line Junction, and later The Last Whistle. Below, a photo essay of the radio life of John (Jack) Russell Wagner. The Wagner Papers were donated to the department by Maryjolaine O'Neill, the illustrator of Mr. Wagner's books.