Leslie Cranford
Senior Staff Writer
Got Radio?
Don't tell her husband and kids (David, Ronnie-15, and Gini-12) – but radio is Leslie’s first love!
While working on a double major in telecommunications and speech communication at Texas Tech in the early 1980s, Leslie began her radio career reading weather forecasts at legendary KSEL radio. Within months she landed the midday shift and donned the pseudonym “Leslie Summers,” working in Lubbock radio on and off for a decade and winning an “Outstanding Young Radio Personality” award in the process.
Compelled by motherhood to get a ‘real job,’ Leslie worked in television production for Fox 34 and KCBD-TV, and, among other things, as development director for Lubbock Meals on Wheels. She began working for Texas Tech in 1998 in a previous incarnation of this office (News & Pubs), covering Agriculture, Law, Business, Human Sciences and other miscellaneous beats. Since 2002, Leslie has been busy developing award-winning marketing communications for Texas Tech’s K-12 distance learning curriculum and community outreach programs. Back at ‘home’ in Communications & Marketing, among other assignments, Leslie will be writing and producing content for iTunes University. (In other words, she gets to play radio on the Internet – poor baby).
Leslie spends too much time hovering over her children (says her husband), trying to get them to write in complete English sentences (instead of in txt msg shorthand) and with pen and paper (instead of key board) - yes, handwriting can be useful! She is an avid blood donor – about 15-20 gallons; and sings in her church choir, where she also volunteers in many other roles.
Her favorite breakfast cereal is Special K vanilla almond. No, wait … Cheerios with bananas. No, Cinnamon Life. Uh, anything but Grape Nuts!
Leslie covers the College of Engineering, College of Education, the Law School, the Rawls College of Business and anything else that is handed off, dumped in her lap or otherwise assigned at the last minute.
Contact Leslie at (806) 742-2136 or leslie.cranford@ttu.edu
Photograph by Artie Limmer