Bruce Avery, the former general manager of Hofstra University’s WRHU (88.7 FM) in Hempsted, New York, died Saturday at the age of 69 after a lengthy illness.
Avery retired in August 2022 after spending 28 years as the general manager of WRHU, where he helped develop the station through a period of unprecedented growth and success.
“He spent his life inspiring other people,” said student Yaw Bonsu, who serves as WRHU’s sports director. “He was someone I could always turn to and talk to, who always believed in me.”
Over Avery’s three decades at Hofstra, WRHU consistently won accolades from a variety of organizations, including the National Association of Broadcasters, the Alliance of Women in Media, the Society of Broadcast Engineers, the Society of Professional Journalists, the Press Club of Long Island and Princeton Review.
“Hofstra University is deeply saddened by the loss of Bruce Avery, who was dedicated to his craft and to the university in myriad ways – as an expert in his field, a teacher, a colleague, and friend to so many,” Susan Poser, the president of Hofstra University, said on Monday. “During his long tenure at Hofstra, Bruce built WRHU into a national and international award-winning radio station. This includes winning four Marconi awards, most recently in 2022, as the best college radio station in the country. We offer our heartfelt condolences to Bruce’s family.”
“Bruce Avery was a consummate professional, a great role model, and above all a mentor to literally thousands of student members of WRHU Radio Hofstra University over his years of service as general manager,” Mark Lukasiewicz, the dean of the Lawrence Herbert School of Communication, said. “His rich legacy includes legions of young men and women who are better broadcasters, better journalists, and better people for having known him.”
In addition to his work at WRHU, Avery served as a meteorologist for regional cable news outlet News 12 Long Island.
