Beloved mass media professor passes away

Late Tuesday afternoon, the Mass Media department received news that Dr. Pam Parry, a respected media historian and professor at Southeast Missouri State University, had passed away.

Parry, a Missouri native, was a proud aunt to eight and had a passion for movies, sports, reading and travel. As a former reporter, she covered the U.S. Congress, the White House and the Supreme Court in the early 1990’s, and wrote for The Baltimore Sun and The McLaughlin Group.

Dr. Parry began teaching in 1997, and was an accomplished author and historian who specialized in President Eisenhower and women in American political history. She also served as the editor for a national peer-reviewed journal, Journalism History. She taught classes in Media History and Communication Law here at SEMO.

She held a PhD in Mass Communications from the University of Southern Mississippi, a Master’s of Religious Education from Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, and a Bachelor’s in Journalism from the University of Missouri Columbia.

Parry was also the recipient of many accolades, including Teacher of the Year in 2009 from the Small Programs Interest Group in the Associate for Education in Journalism and Mass Communications, the Applegate Award for Excellence in Research from the Kentucky Communication Association in 2016, and the Presidential Faculty Achievement Award from Belmont University from 2008-2017.

Students and staff are encouraged to seek support as needed. The Center for Behavioral Health and Accessibility offers counseling services for free to enrolled students, and appointments can be scheduled Monday through Friday by calling 573-986-6191 or in Crisp Hall 201 during office hours.

Additional counseling services are available through the Department of Psychology and Counseling’s Clinic.