MARION – The founder of 107.3 W3D Radio and several other stations in the Marion area will be honored with the HerrinFesta Italiana Lifetime Achievement Award Tuesday at the Herrin Civic Center.

Dennis “Dutch” Doelitzsch along with his wife, Jo, founded W3D in 1970. When he sold the stations to Cumulus Media in 1998, the stations were WDDD-AM/FM, WTAO-FM, WVZA-FM, WFRX-AM, WQUL-FM (formerly WFRX-FM and currently WHET-FM), and a construction permit for WEHT-AM, which later moved to the Chicago area and was built by Clear Channel, now iHeartMedia. Cumulus later sold the stations to iHeartMedia who sold them to Withers Broadcasting in 2008. He also built and operated WDDD-TV, the first independent UHF station in the area, which later became WTCT-TV in 1984.

Doelitzsch began his broadcasting career in 1965 working at area stations while attending SIU Carbondale. He graduated from there with a bachelor’s and master’s degrees after graduating from Marion High School. He served as director of the National Radio Broadcasters Association and was a member of the Illinois Broadcasters Association, among others.   

Doelitzsch was also involved in the banking industry. He worked for several area banks and recently retired as Chairman and CEO of Midwest Community Bancshares and Chairman/Director of First Southern Bank.

Doelitzsch has also been involved in many community organizations including Rotary and was the founding chairman of the Regional Economic Development Corporation. He was instrumental in building REDCO Park in Marion where the Aisin facilities are located.

Besides being honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award Tuesday, Doelitzsch will lead the Festa Grand Parade on Saturday, May 25.