'He believed in local news': Former KSFR news director brought dedication, passion to job
Growing up in Baton Rouge, La., Dupuy was just 11 or 12 when, according to family lore, he convinced his father to put an antenna on the roof of their house so he could pipe in straight to the neighbors' radios.
Bill Dupuy
Bill Dupuy
"He'd find something to say," said Dupuy's wife, Ellen Dupuy, laughing in a recent interview. "He'd do the news or something."
Dupuy landed a job in radio a few years later, and while his career took him from broadcast to the worlds of the military, scientific research and big business, he eventually made a return to the airwaves, taking a job as news director of Santa Fe-based public radio station KSFR.
"It was kind of a ... dream role for him," son Max Dupuy said. "He got a lot out of the people working at KSFR, and also I think contributed a lot."
Dupuy, who stepped down from that position in 2013, died April 12 following a stroke at his Santa Fe home. He was 84.
Communication was a through-line for Texas-born and Louisiana-raised Dupuy, who worked at a Houston radio station out of college before joining the U.S. Air Force and serving as a public information officer, according to his obituary. He was a captain by the time he left the military in the 1960s.
That was about the time he first met his future wife, during a night out on the town in San Francisco, Ellen Dupuy said.
bill dupuy 3
Bill Dupuy, former news director at KSFR public radio station in Santa Fe.
Ellen Dupuy's roommate at the time was about to return home to England. Inspired by an article about the "swingingest spots" in various cities, the two decided to go for a farewell drink — only to find the place packed and themselves "immediately surrounded by some nice gentlemen." But it was another gentleman who caught Ellen Dupuy's eye: the one walking back and forth through the bar.
"Brazen me, I put my hand across the bar and I ... said, 'If you go by one more time, you're going to have pay a toll,' " said Ellen Dupuy, who at the time had just stepped away from her job as a flight stewardess. "... He looked at me, I looked at him, and here we were 57 years later."
It was a spark, but it lasted through decades, multiple moves and career changes, two children — son Max and daughter Nikki — and, eventually, three grandchildren.
"The way he was with his wife, you would have thought they were newlyweds for 50 years or however long," said Zélie Pollon, a former colleague from KSFR.
Bill Dupuy's post-Air Force job for Kaiser Industries took him to New York City — a lively chapter for the young couple as they "wined and dined" people on behalf of the company.
"We were in our 20s with a nice large expense account," Ellen Dupuy said. "So we'd go out to all the great restaurants and theater."
Eventually Dupuy moved on to a job doing public relations for Plymouth State College — now Plymouth State University — in New Hampshire. From there he took another communications job even further up the coast of New England, at The Jackson Laboratory, a cancer research institute on Mount Desert Island in Maine.
The time in Maine was fulfilling, Ellen Dupuy said, but eventually came to an end.
"After years up on Mount Desert Island, we decided it was probably time for Bill to get back into corporate life again, because ... we had kids going to college, things like that," she said.
Bill Dupuy took a job in Cleveland, Ohio, at Edward Howard, a large public relations firm, and later another job as a senior executive at a regional bank, his obituary said.
It was a friend from Cleveland living in New Mexico, according to Ellen Dupuy, who eventually paved the Dupuys' way to Santa Fe in about 1999. The friend wanted to come back to Ohio to see her children, and proffered a house swap vacation. Bill Dupuy was unenthused.
"I dragged Bill out here kicking and screaming," Ellen Dupuy said. "But the minute he got out here, we both fell in love with it."
So much so, she said, that by the end of the vacation, they'd fulfilled the ultimate vacation fantasy.
"We purchased a little house on Delgado at the end of the two weeks," Ellen Dupuy said. "... It's one of the best choices we ever made."
Bill Dupuy opted to take an early retirement at the time of the move to New Mexico, but it didn't suit. At his wife's urging to "do something," he took a science writing job at Los Alamos National Laboratory. Then, Ellen Dupuy said, he spotted a notice in The New Mexican for a volunteer role at KSFR and decided to go see about it.
"That was it," Ellen Dupuy said. "No more laboratory. Total dedication to KSFR."
During Bill Dupuy's years as news director, Ellen Dupuy said, he built KSFR's news team into a force, albeit a volunteer one.
bill dupuy 4
Bill Dupuy, former news director at KSFR public radio station in Santa Fe.
"People were going out interviewing," she said. "We had people at the city meetings. We had people at the Legislature. I mean, he believed in local news."
Steve Terrell, a KSFR host and former longtime newspaper writer for both The New Mexican and the Albuquerque Journal, said in 2004 when he was sent to the Republican and Democratic national conventions as a political reporter, Bill Dupuy recruited him to record short features to bring the events to life for local listeners.
"He took his job very seriously," Terrell said. "He was very serious about the news."
Dupuy's second retirement went about as well as his first one. When he departed KSFR, Ellen Dupuy said, he converted a closet in the garage into a studio and began auditioning to narrate audiobooks, which he intoned in his classic radio broadcaster voice. He helped facilitate Journey Santa Fe events, bringing panels of speakers on a wide array of topics to the Collected Works Bookstore & Coffeehouse. Together the couple took to delivering food during COVID-19 for local nonprofit Kitchen Angels.
Son Max Dupuy, who lives in Washington, D.C., said for the last two decades, his father was driven above all by a passion for his final adopted hometown.
"He loved Santa Fe, he really did," Max Dupuy said. "I know it's easy to say that, and a lot of people say that, but he loved it and contributed to it."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Vox
5 hours ago
- Vox
Most couples used to meet this way. What happened?
Like many women these days, 30-year-old Jude Cohen is over dating apps. So she's decided to relinquish some of the responsibility in finding a partner: 'I'm asking my friends to set me up,' the New York City-based communications consultant says. Late last year, a family friend heeded the call and, without warning, introduced Cohen to a potential date via text. The man lived in her hometown, hundreds of miles away, but she wasn't opposed to long distance. Prior to their date a few weeks later — Cohen was back in town for a wedding — she knew scant about him. She made an attempt to find her date's Instagram but was unsuccessful. The date was fine, she says, and the conversation was 'lovely.' But Cohen just wasn't attracted to her date. Ironically, if he lived in New York, she'd have plenty of friends to set him up with. Still, Cohen is holding out hope for a successful setup. 'I continue to ask my friends to set me up,' Cohen says. 'It was not a deterrent that the first time didn't work out. All in all, it wasn't a bad experience. It's just a part of the numbers game that you have to play to find your person.' Vox Culture Culture reflects society. Get our best explainers on everything from money to entertainment to what everyone is talking about online. Email (required) Sign Up By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Notice . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. The setup can feel like a relic of a bygone era of dating. Introducing two friends who might be romantically compatible seems quaint in a time when people can filter through singles based on the most granular qualities on apps. But for most of modern dating, heterosexual couples were most likely to meet their spouse through friends. That is, until the 2010s, when meeting online overtook friend-facilitated introductions, a trend that has only accelerated since then. According to one study, only 20 percent of straight couples met through friends in 2017, compared to 39 percent who met online. Compare that to 1995, when a third of couples met through friends and only 2 percent met online. It's safe to say that the setup is, if not dead, on life support. But as more singles grow frustrated with dating apps and yearn for more organic connection, could a return to the setup be in order? Are singles willing to surrender control in pursuit of a partner? Related Delete your dating apps and find romance offline 'Of all the things I've heard people say they're doing to try to meet people more organically,' says Liesel Sharabi, an associate professor in human communication at Arizona State University, 'getting set up isn't one that I've had people tell me that they're really longing to go back to. For some of them, they probably never experienced it.' From introductions to algorithms Coupling up only became an individual pursuit recently. Historically, choosing a partner was a group affair. Outsiders have had influence on romantic relationships in myriad ways: For centuries, parents the world over have had some degree of control over who their children married (and in some cultures, they still do); a long line of matchmakers worked to connect families in their communities; and friends, extended family, neighbors, coworkers, and other group members all had a stake in who their friends paired off with. A study from 1991 found that when a couple felt their family and friends approved of their relationship, they were more likely to stay together. (It should be noted that study participants were primarily middle-class college students.) The setup comes with clear upsides. If a mutual friend thinks there might be something between two people in their orbit and goes out of their way to make an introduction, that speaks volumes. Knowing this person has been vetted and vouched for in some way is appealing. A setup has built-in accountability, too. Your date may be less likely to be a jerk if they know their behavior might get back to their friends. But being this intertwined can also get awkward in the event of a fight or breakup, when personal moments are suddenly fodder for group gossip. Over the last few decades, choosing a partner became a more private pursuit. The facilitating friends also have a lot at stake. Research shows that playing matchmaker for friends is associated with higher wellbeing, happiness, and, overall, is a rewarding experience. The matchmaker might feel a sense of ownership over the fledgling couple, the reason for their love. A successful setup has implications beyond the couple themselves, too — the friend group deepens with new connections and can fracture if the relationship dissolves, with mutual friends choosing sides or dividing time between exes. But over the last few decades, choosing a partner became a more private pursuit, says Reuben J. Thomas, an associate professor of sociology at the University of New Mexico. Instead of leaning on social networks to facilitate a match, dating is now 'a very personal quest to find a relationship that helps you become the person you want to be, the best you, to 'self-actualize' through your relationship/marriage (and to leave the relationship if it hampers that),' Thomas says in an email. Instead of relying on the extended network of your community, you can sort through profiles of hundreds of strangers from the privacy and comfort of your bedroom. One of dating apps' greatest strengths is their ability to connect users to people outside of their social network. Most Americans marry people of similar racial, educational, and socioeconomic backgrounds, and dating apps have the power to at least diversify the dating pool, if not totally buck the trend. Your friends and family are limited in their social reach; they only interact with a finite number of people at work, at school, at clubs. There's an even greater cap on how many of those people are single. 'People's friendship circles tend to have fewer single people in them as they age beyond early adulthood, as more and more of their friends enter marriages and long-term relationships,' Thomas says. With increased exposure to a diverse array of strangers, singles on apps have more control over their love lives. In a period of history when Americans are spending less time with friends — and more time alone — you might not want to wait around for a pal to set you up with their coworker, nor should you have to. 'That's quite a bit different than how we've always met our partners,' Sharabi says. 'Usually, we run in the same network, we have the same habits, routines. When you talk about introducing somebody who's entirely independent from that, it does change the dynamic a little bit.' Removing friends and family from the romantic equation has some downsides, Sharabi says. In a study, Sharabi found that couples who met online reported slightly less satisfying and stable marriages than those who met offline. This can be attributed to lingering stigma around app-faciliated connections and family members who may judge a partner from outside their circles more harshly. 'Now you've got friends and family that are really disconnected from the process as well. They're not always supportive of the relationship,' Sharabi says. 'You're out there meeting strangers who they may or may not approve of because they just don't know them.' The new dating experience The setup may also not mesh with modern dating's array of expectations. The amount of information app users have access to prior to a date — an assortment of photos, interests, career, even weeks' worth of conversation — far exceeds the brief bit of background a friend may offer before setting you up. Another expectation of digital courtship — that the 'perfect' person is just a swipe away — can further dilute the allure of a setup. If the date you met online fails to meet your standards, hope springs eternal that the next profile will check all your boxes. With seemingly endless options, singles might discount someone simply because they don't have the right look or the right job. The nature of the setup is virtually the opposite: Here's one person you might jive with. If you aren't satisfied, it might be awkward with your mutual friend — and you'll be sent straight back to the dating apps. 'I feel like my friends have been single for so long,' says Maxine Simone Williams, the founder of the speed dating event series We Met IRL, 'they have a laundry list of what they want, which makes it even harder to set them up, because it's like, well, you don't want this.' On rare occasions, Williams has seen some event attendees walk in, survey the room, and leave. 'They're like, nobody here was my type,' she says. As much as modern daters lament the constant rejection and expendability of modern dating culture, it's also possible that they enjoy being in the driver's seat and having control. 'You do often hear people yearning for a simpler time of romance, but I think in reality they would hate it if society went back to the old ways,' of family-controlled marriages and having fewer options, Thomas says. 'Losing the ability to just shop for potential partners oneself, to have choice and agency, to be able to take the initiative and fairly quickly find a date in a big online space full of options, losing that would greatly frustrate most people today.' When it comes to dating in college, Chicago-based marketing intern Aliza Akhter has relied on apps to meet other singles. The last time the 20-year-old met a significant other through friends was in high school. To Akhter, setups are something her parents' generation did. Her friends don't ask each other if they have other single friends. She'd be open to meeting someone at a friend's party or even a setup date, but she's in the minority, she says. 'If you're single, it's pretty much a given that you either have a dating app or you have at some point,' Akhter says. 'So maybe it's just the fact that people know that there's another easier option than the introduction.' Algorithms have replaced the role of family and friends in facilitating relationships. Still, the fate of the setup isn't all grim. In recent research, Arielle Kuperberg, an associate professor of sociology at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, has found among thousands of college students nationwide, more are now meeting romantic partners through friends and family than they were in 2019. Fewer are meeting partners online compared to 2020, when nearly a quarter of respondents met their significant other online. 'We have a five-year period we look at in this paper, from 2019 through 2024,' Kuperberg says, 'and the last year was the highest rate at which people were met through friends and family. So I think there could be a comeback.' Sharabi, however, is not as optimistic. 'I think it's dead,' she says, 'and I think that dating apps killed it.' In her view, algorithms have replaced the role of family and friends in facilitating relationships and despite apps' negative publicity as of late, she doesn't see them disappearing altogether. But if Jude Cohen, the freelance communications consultant in New York, has anything to say about it, the setup will live on. Cohen and her friends have sought to make the experience more joyful by organizing what they call the 'Blind Date Club' where each friend is tasked with bringing a date to dinner for another person in the group. Some brought friends of friends, others made dating app profiles on behalf of their pal. ('It was very clear on the profile I'm swiping for my friend Amy,' Cohen says.) Cohen found a date for her friend John by posting a video on TikTok. Five out of the six couples extended their date beyond the initial dinner. Cohen was one of them — she had a few more dates with her setup, too. Although none of the matches grew into anything more serious, Blind Date Club was a whimsical way of bringing community back into dating.
Associated Press
5 hours ago
- Associated Press
IAS Services Helps Family Overcome UK Visa Rejection with Successful Appeal
Obtaining Further Leave to Remain (FLR) in the UK can be complex, especially when it involves families. When the Home Office rejects an application, affected individuals who have lived in the UK for some time will face an emotionally challenging journey of having to leave the country. But with the proper immigration support, families can find hope and success, even after a disappointing start. This article discusses how a UK-based family, after being rejected for an FLR application by the Home Office, received a second chance through the assistance of immigration lawyers. Their experience highlights the importance of seeking professional support in improving the outcome when applying for Further Leave to Remain. The Background: A Family's Struggle After Rejection The story begins with a young family who had built a life together in the UK. The primary resident, a settled person, was supporting their spouse, who had been residing in the country under the UK Spouse visa for the past 33 months. During the spouse's time in the UK, they welcomed a child, who automatically acquired British citizenship. As their current visas neared expiration, the non-British spouse applied for leave to remain, hoping to maintain their lawful immigration status and continue building a family life in the UK. Unfortunately, their hopes were shaken when the Home Office refused their application. This rejection risked separating the family, as the non-British spouse was no longer legally allowed to remain in the UK. Instead of giving up, the family sought help from experienced UK immigration advisors. What Went Wrong With Their Application The application for further leave to remain under the family route was rejected because the family failed to provide sufficient evidence of their income. The British partner's employment situation had changed since the initial Spouse visa application was submitted. With the FLR application, they were combining their savings with their salaried income. However, some of the key gaps in their documentation included: Though they met the income threshold in practice, the lack of complete supporting documents led to a refusal. These are common mistakes in visa applications, particularly when applicants handle the process independently. The Role of Immigration Advisors After reviewing the rejection letter, the immigration lawyers advised the couple to submit a fresh application with stronger supporting documents. They immediately began working on a new application for FLR under the family route. The immigration advisors thoroughly assessed the family's situation, collected and reviewed all supporting documents, and helped them clearly demonstrate their right to remain in the UK with their new application. A crucial element of the new application was demonstrating the best interests of their UK-born child, a factor that UK immigration law gives significant weight to in family-based cases. Thanks to the expert guidance, the family's new application was approved. This meant the non-British spouse could continue living, working, and raising their child in the UK legally. The applicant also has a clear pathway to settlement in the future, as long as they meet the conditions. Understanding Further Leave to Remain Further Leave to Remain (FLR) allows individuals already in the UK to extend their stay. It's essential for spouses, partners, children, or parents living with family in the UK. Depending on your circumstances, you may apply under different FLR categories, including: In this case, the family applied under the FLR(M) category because the non-British spouse was in the UK under the Family visa route. The advisors carefully matched their application to this route, ensuring compliance with all requirements. Tips to Strengthen Your FLR Application If you are applying for leave to remain, here are some tips to increase your chances of success: Why Professional Help Matters Many visa refusals stem from misunderstandings of the legal process or the absence of key evidence. The UK immigration system is complex, and even minor mistakes can lead to major delays or denials. In this family's case, working with experienced immigration advisers made all the difference. They understood how to interpret and apply the immigration rules, handle the application process, and communicate with the Home Office. Their guidance strengthened the family's application and gave them peace of mind during a stressful time. If your visa has been refused and you're unsure how to proceed, seeking professional help can save you time, reduce stress, and increase your chances of success. Qualified immigration lawyers and advisers can: For families building a life in the UK and wanting to avoid disruptions in their stay, this support can be a valuable investment in long-term stability and peace of mind. Conclusion Immigration is often about building a family life and a future in a new country. This case study shows that rejection doesn't have to be the end of a hopeful family future. With the proper support, families can handle the UK immigration system successfully. If you're facing a challenge with your visa application, consider working with an immigration lawyer. Their help can make all the difference between rejection and approval. Media Contact Company Name: IAS Services Contact Person: John Davis Email: Send Email City: London Country: United Kingdom Website: Press Release Distributed by To view the original version on ABNewswire visit: IAS Services Helps Family Overcome UK Visa Rejection with Successful Appeal
Forbes
14 hours ago
- Forbes
Why Bigger Isn't Better When It Comes To HVAC Systems
Bigger is not always better. In American society, we're often conditioned to believe that bigger is better. While that mindset works in some contexts, it can be disastrous when applied to HVAC systems. According to a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) report, improper HVAC installation is alarmingly common—impacting approximately 65% of systems evaluated. Among these, 31% were found to be 2021, Air Doctors Heating and Cooling—a Southeast-based home performance contractor—surveyed 3,880 homes. Their findings were even more startling: 98% of the systems were oversized by at least 200% of their heating capacity, and at least 33% oversized in cooling capacity. Oversizing can lead to poor comfort, higher energy costs and increased likelihood of equipment failure due to short cycling. The Automobile Analogy More power can't hurt, right? You might wonder: What's the big deal with having extra capacity? More power can't hurt, right? Not installing a heavy-duty pickup truck engine on the frame of a compact car—and then using it to commute to work. It's inefficient, overkill and, ultimately, harmful. That's what happens when HVAC systems are oversized: they're mismatched to the needs of the space, causing performance and reliability Challenges With the automobile analogy in mind, know that furnaces and boilers operate most efficiently when they reach their steady-state operating temperature, which typically takes five to 10 minutes. If the system shuts off before reaching this state—common with oversized units—the combustion process never achieves optimal efficiency. This results in burning more fuel without fully converting it into usable heat, leading to waste and higher utility same holds true for oversized air conditioners and heat pumps. These systems tend to short-cycle—turning on and off in quick succession—requiring more electricity to repeatedly start the compressor than to simply run it steadily. Additionally, short run times don't allow the system to effectively remove humidity from the air, potentially causing comfort issues, material degradation, and in extreme cases promote the growth of microorganisms like mold or Cycling and Mechanical Stress Short cycling is one of the most damaging consequences of oversizing. It accelerates wear and tear on critical components, reducing system lifespan and increasing repair frequency. Think again of the driving analogy: most people would agree highway miles are gentler on a vehicle than stop-and-go city traffic. In HVAC terms, short cycling is the equivalent of stop-and-go driving—stressful, inefficient, and costly over Compromises Oversized HVAC systems often fail to maintain steady indoor temperatures. They cool or heat too quickly, shut off, and leave behind uneven conditions. Homeowners frequently respond by adjusting their thermostats more aggressively, which only exacerbates the issue. The result is discomfort, frustration, and a system that's constantly fighting Importance of Load Calculations The cornerstone of any successful HVAC retrofit or installation is an accurate load calculation. This determines the heating and cooling requirements needed to keep the space comfortable. If the calculation is wrong, everything downstream—equipment selection, duct sizing, airflow balancing—will also be off. The consequences include energy waste, occupant discomfort, shortened equipment life, and increased service calls.A Smarter Approach: Amply Energy One company addressing this issue head-on is Amply Energy, a software innovator for heat pump professionals. Amply's sales and design copilot enables contractors to generate better proposals faster. It features real-time ACCA Manual J load calculations, 3D floor plans, virtual installs, and polished sales documents—making it easier to do the job right the first Eric Fitz and Ed Smith, who also co-host The Heat Pump Podcast, regularly discuss the challenges and opportunities in HVAC entrepreneurship and asked about how widespread the issue of residential HVAC systems being installed without accurate load calculations, and the impact this has on system performance and homeowner comfort, Eric said 'Unfortunately, especially in retrofit situations, it's still quite common for systems to be installed without proper load calculations. Poor sizing can result in uneven temperatures, higher utility bills, potentially shorter equipment lifespan, and degraded indoor air quality. Oversized systems, for example, tend to cycle on and off too quickly, which results in less effective dehumidification and less time for air to be filtered. The biggest risk is fundamentally getting the design wrong, which often means significantly over- or undersizing the system. A flawless installation can't save a flawed design.'Ed Smith added, 'We have a lot of empathy for contractors here. They're being asked to do more than ever. Traditional load calc tools are clunky and slow. That's why we built Amply—to make proper design fast, intuitive, and part of the sales process. If contractors see how easy it is to use such tools and experience the reactions from homeowners, it'll make doing proper load calcs a no-brainer for the industry.'Conclusion Oversized HVAC systems may seem like a precautionary upgrade, but they often cause more harm than good. From wasted energy and humidity issues to early system failure and poor occupant comfort, the hidden costs are significant. Proper load calculations are no longer a luxury—they are a necessity. With modern tools like Amply Energy's software, contractors can confidently right-size systems, earn trust with homeowners, and improve overall performance. In the world of HVAC, smarter—not bigger—is better.
