For 10 years, the Pete and Bonnie Axthelm Memorial Program has awarded scholarship money to student journalists interested in sports writing. This year's winner will be honored at a dinner Wednesday, followed by a lecture featuring guest speaker and ESPN senior vice president and managing editor Norby Williamson.

The dinner is by invitation only, said Donna Turben, administrative assistant to the deans department in the College of Communication. The lecture, which is free and open to all interested students, will be held at 7 p.m. in room 111 of Emory T. Clark Hall.

The Pete and Bonnie Axthelm Memorial Program was established in 1994. The program awards one student each year with a scholarship of $2,500, said Rose Richard, assistant dean in the College of Communication.

Throughout his career in sports journalism, Pete Axthelm wrote for the New York Herald Tribune, Sports Illustrated and Newsweek. He worked as a sports commentator for NBC and ESPN and died in 1991 of lung failure, Turben said.

Axthelm holds the record for the number of cover stories in Newsweek, said John Heiderscheidt, recipient of this year's award, a former Tribune reporter and a sophomore in the College of Communication.

Pete Axthelm's sister, Bonnie, was added to the memorial fund after her death in 1998. She worked as the executive director of corporate, marketing and public affairs at Media Networks Inc., Turben said.

Marquette faculty members nominate students for the award each year, Richard said, and the family and friends of Pete and Bonnie Axthelm are responsible for choosing a winner.

The program sponsors an annual lecture for students to attend. This year's featured speaker, Williamson, was Axthelm's producer at ESPN, Richard said. He was chosen for his ties to sports journalism.

Williamson began his career as a mail clerk at ESPN in 1985. He said he was promoted up the chain at ESPN and now runs studio operation.

"If I can get to the level I'm at, than anybody can do it," Williamson said. "I want to help people as they start their careers, because I remember what it was like to be in college."

He said his speech will provide insight about what goes on behind the scenes at ESPN as well as give students advice for success.

Heiderscheidt said he is honored to receive the award and is excited to hear Williamson's lecture. He became interested in writing when he took a creative writing course in high school and hopes to publish a novel someday.

Richard said past speakers have included Steve Rushin, a columnist for Sports Illustrated, and his wife Rebecca Lobo, a retired basketball player who played for the University of Connecticut and the WNBA.