To The Editor, The Maroon

In a couple of weeks, the School of Mass Communication will honor members of the Alfred Lawrence Lorenz chapter of Kappa Tau Alpha, the journalism and mass communication honor society. I don’t think any of these students knew Dr. Lorenz, who retired from teaching before they arrived on campus, but whether they realize it or not, they are all beneficiaries of his enduring influence on the school and the university.

Larry certainly had a tremendous influence on my life. He hired me in 1983, despite his doubts that I would stay very long. Thirty-four years later, I’m still here and still grateful to him for helping me find my academic home and my way as a novice professor.

Larry was a true academic. He never stopped learning or lost his passion for teaching, writing and language. I miss our conversations that ranged from books to politics, to his beloved New Yorker. OK, and a little gossip. And puns, lots of puns. Larry could never resist them. The worse, the better.

We have lost two wonderful journalism professors since I came to Loyola, Tom Bell and now Larry Lorenz. I think of them both every day and know that while they can’t be replaced, they will never be forgotten by anyone they taught or anyone they befriended. I am proud to be in that number.

Leslie Parr

A. Louis Read Distinguished Professor of Communication