Former journalism professor Verne Edwards, mentor to many, dies

Verne Edwards, the Ohio Wesleyan journalism professor who mentored many of the department’s most successful graduates in his 34-year career, died Wednesday.

Edwards joined the faculty in 1952, teaching and advising The Transcript, according to a statement from University President Rock Jones. He taught students who went on to win Pulitzer Prizes and Emmy awards before retiring in 1986.

“If we judge educators by the success of their former students, then Verne Edwards stood at the top of his profession,” Jones wrote in the statement.

Details for Edwards’ memorial service are forthcoming. Read Jones’s full release below.

Dear OWU Community,

I am writing to share the sad news that Professor Emeritus of Journalism Verne Edwards, a legendary member of the Ohio Wesleyan faculty, passed away yesterday. His daughter tells me his family spent time together during his final hours reading his favorite pieces, including tributes from his beloved students.

Verne joined Ohio Wesleyan in 1952, and he served as the Journalism chair and advisor to The Transcript for more than 30 years before retiring in 1986. His students remember Verne as their mentor and expert teacher who held them to the highest standards of journalistic excellence and moral integrity. He received the Bishop Herbert Welch Meritorious Teaching Award in 1972.

It is no exaggeration to say that Verne Edwards helped to shape the face of American journalism by training an all-star team of some of the nation’s finest and most prominent journalists. His students have won Pulitzer Prizes and Emmy Awards and have held positions of leadership at many of America’s major newspapers, news magazines, and television news outlets, as well as leading corporations, nonprofits, and universities. If we judge educators by the success of their former students, then Verne Edwards stood at the top of his profession.

A memorial service is being planned for a later date.

Please join me in sending our deepest sympathies to Verne’s widow, Dolores, and their entire family. Verne will be deeply missed, but his influence will live on through his students, his colleagues, and all the lives he touched.

Rock