Desmond “Des” Wingard, a Troy University alum and News Director at WSFA 12 News in Montgomery, passed away Oct. 30, surrounded by his family at the age of 46, following a battle with cancer. 

Wingard, a 2000 TROY graduate, was recognized as the inaugural recipient of the TrojanVision Spotlight Award for Local News for his journalistic contributions and commitment to central Alabama during the 50^thAnniversary celebration of TrojanVision on Oct. 3. He was considered a trusted mentor and supporter of students in the Hall School of Journalism and Communication, helping both TROY interns and graduates during their time at WSFA.

Former TrojanVision students, now WSFA employees, shared on social media how much Wingard meant to them.

“Des was not just my boss, he was the best boss to work for in my life,” said Seth Hawk, a 2019 graduate and current news producer. “He cared for his fellow employees that he was leading. He demanded the best out of us every day because that’s what he gave every day at work. And I admire his work ethic and devotion to what we do at WSFA on a daily basis.”

“Des was more than a boss; he was a friend,” said Rachel Scarbrough, a 2013 graduate and current executive news producer. “He brought me into the WSFA family in 2012 as an intern. Through good times and bad, he was always there to give an encouraging word if I had a bad show or praise for a good one. Des was the heart and soul of WSFA and will be missed by many.”

“My life is better for having known Des Wingard,” said Chase Tidwell, a 2011 graduate and technical media producer. “He brought me in as an intern in 2010 at WSFA and helped me get hired before I even graduated from TROY in 2011. More importantly, he was an amazing friend and human.”

“There was never a day I worked with Des when he didn’t check on every single person in the newsroom,” said Emma Ellis Schuessler, a 2024 graduate and current anchor/reporter. “Not just about our stories, but about our well-being as well. I couldn’t have asked for a better first boss in my first job in the industry. He made coming to work easy. He gave all of us the support we needed to thrive.”

Wingard knew that he wanted to work in television news from a very young age and would tune in to the WSFA 6 p.m. newscast every night to watch Bob Howell. He stepped onto TROY’s campus as a first-generation college student in 1998 and would eventually become the Student News Director at what was then TSU-TV. 

His mother, Sheila Mims, shared that despite having to work two jobs to pay his way through college, he thrived at TROY.

“He loved TROY so much,” she said. “He was so smart, and everything seemed natural for him. Even in school, it seemed like he didn’t study much; in fact, he would help other students study. He literally loved his life.”

He first joined WSFA in June 1999 as a part-time photographer and editor while he was still in school. He would climb up the ranks at WSFA and hold roles such as a producer, assignment manager, executive producer, interim News Director, Assistant News Director, and was named the News Director in July 2022. 

Chancellor Dr. Jack Hawkins touted Wingard as an inspiration and a wonderful example of the power of education and the influence of Troy University in shaping lives and careers. 

“I remember his never-ending presence as a student in the studio of WTSU,” Dr. Hawkins said. “Following his graduation from Troy in 2000, we would see him often on campus and in the Troy community. In fact, more than once he said he never missed an opportunity to return to his ‘home away from home!’”

TrojanVision’s Director of Television, Aaron Taylor, said that Wingard wasn’t just his classmate and roommate, but a trusted colleague and friend. 

“We both started our journeys in the field of broadcasting together on the first floor of Wallace Hall,” Taylor said. “We stayed in contact throughout the years, both personally and professionally. I sent my TrojanVision ‘kids’ to him at WSFA, and he was there with Robbyn and me when my own kid came into the world. He maintained a connection to TROY, frequently visiting campus to connect with our students and share his knowledge of the business. It was always easy for me to tell my students that WSFA was a place they wanted to go work because I knew that with Des as their boss, it was going to be a great work environment.”

Taylor also shared that Wingard remembered his roots in that the experience he gained at TROY laid the foundation for his professional career. During his time at WSFA, he actively worked to open doors for other TrojanVision graduates.

“Even before he hired his first TrojanVision grad as news director, he was helping guide TROY graduates into the professional world as internship coordinator,” Taylor said. “He was responsible for a lot of our graduates taking their first steps in the working world. He embodied the spirit of TrojanVision and was probably one of our hardest-working grads.”

Dr. Robbyn Taylor, Director for the Hall School of Journalism and Communication, was an undergraduate broadcast journalism student when Wingard was the student news director. She shared how passionate he was about telling stories that mattered.

“I’ll never forget the wall above his desk in our college newsroom covered with Associated Press stories where he’d earned a credit — he taped each one up as a visual reminder of the difference he was making through journalism,” Dr. Taylor said. “That drive to make an impact never left him. As WSFA’s news director, those stories taped to the wall, those visual reminders, became people — the students he mentored, the interns he hired, and the young journalists he helped grow into professionals. Desmond was one of my dearest friends. His impact is immeasurable, and his loss leaves a hole in our Troy family and in my heart. Desmond’s legacy lives on in every newsroom touched by those he believed in.”

Dr. Taylor also shared that while he was completely dedicated to his work, he was also just as devoted to the people that he cared about.

“He was at dinner with my husband, Aaron, and me when I went into labor with our son,” Dr. Taylor said. “He paid the check, raced to the hospital with our uneaten food and was one of the first people Brooks met. Des was there for me at my father’s funeral. He was there when we celebrated awards and milestones. It was hard to convince him to take a break from the newsroom, but when you did, you got the full experience of his friendship — he was kind, genuine, and so funny. I mean, really funny, the kind of funny that made you laugh until your stomach hurt. Desmond gave so much of himself to journalism, but he gave just as much to his friends and family. That’s what made him so special — he led with both his heart and his humor.”

From first-generation college student to beloved news director, mentor and friend, Desmond Wingard lived the life he loved and touched countless others in the process.