Communiqué
WOUB Member Spotlight: David and Rebecca Drozek
< < Back toThe Drozeks have been members of WOUB since 2007
ATHENS, OH – David and Rebecca Drozek are transplants to the Athens area. David grew up in Lorain, Ohio. Rebecca grew up near Indianapolis. But the two have made their home in Athens because they feel the place is special. And one of the things that is special to the Drozeks is WOUB.
“We came to graduate school at Ohio University in the late 1970s, and started listening in the evenings to news and music on WOUB while making dinner. We also became fans of A Prairie Home Companion,” said David. “At the time, we were on a student budget and didn’t have a lot of money. WOUB FM radio was our entertainment.”
After graduate school, the Drozeks left Athens, but came back in 2006 when David accepted a faculty position in the College of Osteopathic Medicine. And they immediately fell back into their WOUB routine.
“WOUB is our main source of news and entertainment. We love Morning Edition, All Things Considered, Wait, Wait…Don’t Tell Me! Science Friday and all the weekend programming,” said Rebecca. “We also love WOUB TV. We watch all the British shows and we have enjoyed the local productions – especially Our Town: Athens.”
David is now an Associate Professor of Specialty Medicine at Ohio University and works at Marietta Memorial Hospital as the director of Lifestyle Medicine. Lifestyle Medicine is the use of evidence-based lifestyle therapeutic intervention—including a whole-food, plant-predominant eating pattern, regular physical activity, restorative sleep, stress management, avoidance of risky substances, and positive social connection—as a primary way to prevent, treat, and often reverse chronic disease.
“Getting reliable news and information is important to us,” said David. “I feel NPR is balanced. You get the conservative and liberal perspectives on issues.”
“At the start of the pandemic, I was so glad that WOUB carried the Ohio Governor’s press conferences,” said Rebecca. “Those provided such important information to us. I also appreciated that you could hear the latest local COVID trends on WOUB.”
The Drozeks are very involved in the community. They volunteer with “Live Healthy Appalachia” and work with international students on campus. David is the Ohio University faculty advisor for “International Friendships.” The national organization partners with local churches, universities, and volunteers to provide life-changing hospitality and friendship to international students.
“Several years ago, we were involved in international missions and helped start a hospital in Honduras. We learned Spanish and realized we could use that to help international students acclimate to Athens,” said Rebecca. “International students come to Athens with a limited view of America. It’s important to reach out to them and make them feel included.”
The two also enjoy cooking, reading, walking, playing piano, biking, gardening and traveling.
“We love traveling to national parks,” said David. “With COVID, we haven’t been able to do that lately. But we just started traveling again, visiting three national parks in May and June.”