UF College of Journalism and Communications set up a memorial fund in honor of one of its former students who became an ESPN reporter upon graduation.
Edward Aschoff graduated from UF in 2008 and became a sports reporter for ESPN in 2011.
He died Christmas Eve from HLH syndrome, a complication of pneumonia and underlying non-Hodgkins lymphoma, a type of cancer that originates in the lymphatic system — the disease-fighting system throughout the body.
“One of the common themes that you saw from a lot of people who were posting about him was that he was always willing to help someone else, someone else starting in the business or someone who’s trying to navigate their career,” said Ted Spiker, the chair of the department of journalism. “He was special, and he was a great writer.”
Spiker said it has not yet been decided how the money will be used. However, the donations might help students interested in sports journalism and media in some way.
Joseph Lara, a 23-year-old UF journalism junior specializing in sports and media, said he was shocked to hear about the loss of an alumnus in such a tight-knit program and is grateful for the fund.
“Setting up a fund like that, you’re going to remember his name, you’re going to remember his story,” Lara said. “And that’s something that’s going to be carried on as a legacy here at UF.”
Contact Allessandra Inzinna at ainzinna@alligator.org. Follow her on Twitter @ainzinna.
Allessandra is a third-year journalism major with a minor in English. In the past, she has covered local musicians and the cannabis industry. She is now the Student Government reporter for The Alligator. Allessandra paints and plays guitar in her free time.
