By Dalton Lee, Baldwin Wallace ’11

Summarizing a person’s career in a list of achievements and awards is an effective way to paint the portrait of accomplishment, but it cannot capture the passion and innovation which made them great. Say you had a man who spent his seventy-year career as a broadcast journalist, writer, restaurant reviewer, and food critic—spanning four cities and two countries—and had received a multitude of awards, including: the Chevalier d'honneur Swiss Ordre du Channe, an Emmy Award for TV News Coverage, a series of UPI Tom Phillips Awards for radio news, and a Congressional Citation. However brief this summation, it’s undoubtedly impressive, but it fails to grasp the legacy of Phi Tau’s own revolutionary journalist, Robert Lape, Kent State ’52. To convey the impact Lape had on his peers, industry, and all those touched by his work, I’ll share with you a story from his early days in Providence, Rhode Island.

In 1956, Lape had recently been hired by WICE Providence—an up-and-coming station—and the pair were eager to make a splash throughout the city. The goal was expedition; Lape and WICE could establish themselves by getting their community the stories they desired faster than their competitors. With the 1956 elections in full swing, Lape would employ locals from 38 cities and towns to provide him with election results in real-time. As the elections carried on, a defining story presented itself. Now known as the “long count,” the 1956 Gubernatorial Race is the story of the Rhode Island Supreme Court invalidating 5,000 civilian, absentee and shut-in ballots cast prior to election day on the grounds that a constitutional amendment required such votes to be cast on, rather than prior to, election day. This national story brought reporters and outlets from across the nation and was drawn out over the course of eleven days. Amid the commotion, Lape was driving the WICE NEWSMOBILE back and forth from station to courthouse, providing continuous updates to the citizens of Rhode Island. As the decision neared, it was becoming apparent that Lape needed to figure out a way to beat his peers to the punch. With the results set to be handed out, the frenzy of media members would not allow for a traditional approach. Inspired by a journalist who covered the Bruno Hauptmann trial, Lape wrote two separate stories prior to the decision—one in red ink and one in black. Arriving in the early hours of decision day, Lape parked a fellow member of the WICE team in the NEWSMOBILE right outside the courthouse window. Standing with his peers, all clamoring and vying for the opportunity to receive the news first, he waited by to run to the window with a strand of black yarn in one pocket and a piece of red cardboard in the other. A landmark decision was announced, Christopher Del Sesto, the apparent winner, had lost the Gubernatorial race to Dennis J. Roberts. As the courthouse erupted in chaos, journalists fought to reach phones, typewriters and get on air as soon as possible, but Lape simply gathered the attention of his partner in this journalistic heist and waved the red cardboard. Going live from the NEWSMOBILE, WICE beat its competitors to the story and established itself at the forefront of news innovation.

*Lape interviewing former Congresswoman Bella Abzug.*

While this story may appear to be the plot of Aaron Sorkin’s next screenplay, it is the true telling of the bold and ambitious foundation Lape had laid for his career. Just a short time after, Lape would garner an invitation to the White House and praise from President Dwight D. Eisenhower for his coverage of the Little Rock Integration Crisis of 1957. Following his departure from WICE, Lape joined WBZ in Boston, where he earned further praise and acclaim for coverage of the Great Northeast Blackout. Lape’s journey along the East Coast took him to New York City, where he first became a charter member of Eyewitness News on WABC-TV. While serving as a political and crime reporter, Lape created a segment called The Eyewitness Gourmet, which would run for twelve years, and was met with such high acclaim and ratings that it increased the revenue of the network. Becoming the Arts Editor, Lape would also cover film and theater for the remainder of his time at Eyewitness News. His foray into the culinary world would see the creation of Bob Lape’s Food Show on WABC, a restaurant review column that lasted 24 years in Crain's New York Business; Bob Lape's Dining Diary, a broadcast on WCBS Radio that focused on all aspects of dining and aired fifteen times per week; and stints as a media critic for Entertainment Tonight, food critic for the TODAY Show and anchor of Japan Today on USA Cable Network. Paired with his extensive journalism career, Lape is also author of Epicurean Rendezvous, Bob Lape's Restaurant Index, and co-author of Seduced by Bacon: Recipes & Lore About America's Favorite Indulgence.

Among his many awards, Lape was most recently honored by his alma mater, Kent State University. A recipient of the 2022 Professional Achievement Award, Lape was honored with fellow alumni at a banquet surrounded by friends and family. Of the university, Lape stated, “My Kent State education did far more than help in my career. It made not only my career, it made my life.” His time in Phi Tau was met with equal acclaim, as he described how the experience of being an only child made him all the more excited to be amongst brothers from different and diverse backgrounds. Now settled down back in Ohio, Lape continues to write, partake in public speaking events, and happily spend time with his children and grandchildren.