2008 Woodie Awards
Vote Absentee
Long-time professor dies
Ashley Bryan
Issue date: 5/1/08 Section: News
|
"Art has probably touched more lives that just about anybody," said Denise von Herrmann, interim dean of the College of Arts and Letters. "It's a tremendous loss. I don't think you can ever replace someone like him."
Kaul, a native of St. Louis, joined the USM faculty in 1984. He was given the University's Excellence in Teaching award in 1989, as well as many other awards during his service at Southern Miss.
Kaul served on the Faculty Senate for a number of years and was president of that organization from 1999-2000. He also served on a number of university and professional committees.
Students, faculty and alumni were touched by the news of Kaul's death.
"My heart was honestly saddened to know that Dr. Kaul won't be with us anymore," said Brittany Brown, a senior journalism major from Lucedale. "He was an exceptional professor and a wonderful person. He's been a mentor of mine for the past four years."
Joel McNeece, a 1994 graduate of Southern Miss, contacted The Student Printz via e-mail Wednesday after hearing of Kaul's death.
"My career in journalism can be traced back to one man- Dr. Art Kaul," McNeece said.
McNeece said Kaul pushed him to be a better journalist.
"Despite my many efforts to share with Dr. Kaul the tremendous impact he had on my life and career, I don't think he ever truly understood, mostly due to his own humility," McNeece said.
Chris Campbell, director of the School of Mass Communication and Journalism, had a unique relationship with Kaul, having first been his student and then colleague.
"He's absolutely the best teacher I've ever had," Campbell said. "And to know him as a colleague, I relied on him a lot."
The classes taught by Kaul during the summer will be canceled, and a visiting professor will probably be brought in for the fall until a search for a tenure-track professor is held, said Campbell.
Kaul, is survived by his wife Nancy Kaul, who is the collection development coordinator for Southern Miss libraries; a son, Stephen Kaul; his mother, Beulah Kaul; and three brothers- Jonathon Kaul, of Bunker Hill, Ill.; Daniel Kaul, of Behalto, Ill.; and Luther Kaul, of Evansville, Ind.
Moore Funeral Home is handling the arrangements. Visitation will be held Sunday from 5 p.m. until 8 p.m. at St. John's Lutheran Church in Hattiesburg. The funeral service will be held Monday at 10 a.m. at the church.
Memorial donations can be made to the St. John Lutheran Music Foundation or the USM Foundation's Art Kaul Memorial Fund to support doctoral mass communication students in their dissertation phase.
The Student Printz does not necessarily agree with comments posted below - responsibility lies with the relevant user alone. For the article comment guidelines, click here.
Comments below posted after February 8, 2007, are from registered users only. To have your comment appear you must have your name verified and activated. To do so, you must register. To register, click here.
Viewing Comments 1 - 7 of 7
Stacey Reid Duke
posted 5/01/08 @ 11:37 AM CST
Dr. Art Kaul was a caring and dedicated professor. I cannot imagine USM without his presence.
DennyA
Denny Atkin
posted 5/01/08 @ 11:39 AM CST
I was very saddened to wake up this morning and hear this news.
In both undergrad and grad school, Art Kaul managed to be my favorite professor, my best teacher, and a wonderful advisor. (Continued…)
David McRaney
posted 5/01/08 @ 12:02 PM CST
Kaul was my advisor and my friend.
We used to sit together in his office and lament the state of journalism or the proliferation of propaganda.
In class, he would bend over in his crooked lecturing posture allowing his glasses to fall dangerously close to the edge of his nose, run a hand diagonally through his hair and seamlessly connect our culture's obsession with Brittany Spears to Martin Luther nailing up his grievances. (Continued…)
Josh
posted 5/01/08 @ 12:19 PM CST
Dr. Kaul will be missed -- especially his excited comments about journalism history. when his excitement got going, it got going! Beard a stroking, hair a flapping and his body about to come out of his skin with excitement. (Continued…)
Nancy Dupont
posted 5/01/08 @ 3:41 PM CST
I have a Ph.D. in journalism and a fabulous job as a journalism professor all because of Dr. Art Kaul. I was fortunate enough to have Dr. Kaul as my graduate professor during 1994-1996 and my dissertation director in 1997. (Continued…)
arie wilson passwaters
posted 5/01/08 @ 8:57 PM CST
Dr. Kaul taught me so much more about life than simply journalism. When the administration threatened to shut down the Printz for insubordination, Dr. (Continued…)
bethchristian10
Beth Christian
posted 5/01/08 @ 8:59 PM CST
Kudos Josh---you captured the essence of the man and why we all loved him. He was so excited about what he was teaching that you had to love it. He made me want to be a journalism professor. (Continued…)
Post a Comment