Pam Parry was among the outgoing committee chairs honored at the 2017 AJHA conference. From left: Amber Roessner, Parry, David Vergobbi, Pete Smith, and Michael Fuhlhage. 

Pam Parry, second vice president of AJHA, passed away on Feb. 4. Pam was a professor of public relations at Southeast Missouri State, where she taught media history.

A Lifetime Member of AJHA, she joined in 2009 on the advice of David Davies. She was a doctoral student at the University of Southern Mississippi at the time. Davies required his students to write and submit a conference paper to AJHA.

“He told my class that the organization would change our lives, and he was right,” Parry wrote in a 2023 AJHA member spotlight. “I was hooked by meeting these kindred spirits, and I’ve never looked back.”

Pam served on the AJHA Board of Directors from 2015 to 2018. She also chaired the Education Committee (2015-2017) and was a member of the Public Relations Committee (2010-2013).

Additionally, Pam served our field as editor of Journalism History from 2020 until 2024. She was the author of Eisenhower: The Public Relations President and co-editor of the Women in American Political History book series.

In her bio as a candidate for second vice president, Parry wrote:

As a 15-year member of AJHA, I want to give back to the organization that advances the discipline to which I devoted my life. My professional goal involves progressing media history as a discipline, and that goal aligns with the mission of AJHA. My love of this organization drives me to want to lead it.

Through her teaching, research, and service to the field, Pam has touched the lives of many AJHA members. Some of them sent comments, which are included below.

Kaylene Armstrong

Pam and I first met in the PhD program at Southern Miss and quickly became study buddies — and great friends. We graduated together in December 2013, both of us David Davies' protégées. She pulled me into activity with AJHA by cajoling me into being on the education committee, which she chaired at the time. Then when she left that position, she encouraged me to accept the chair position, which I did. She and I shared a room at every AJHA conference we attended together. We were talking about doing it again this year and meeting up this summer. Through the years we often called each other about issues at our respective teaching assignments, commiserating over injustices and providing validation for each other's feelings. Many times she said to me, "I'm asking your opinion about this because I know you'll tell it to me straight. Is this a bad idea?" Our last visit was talking on the phone about the possibilities of her next adventure working with David Sloan. We chatted while she drove to visit Sloan just a few weeks before she died. Her death leaves a huge hole for everyone who knew her, and I am no different. She was certainly one of the rocks I counted on in my life.  

Maurine Beasley

I was horrified and so sorry to get the sad news.  I knew Pam for at least two decades.  She always was affirmative, exhibiting a love of life, teaching, and scholarship, a great friend to all in the media history community.  I never heard her say a cross word or encountered a harsh message from her.  I had no idea she was ill. We have lost a beautiful soul too soon.

Dianne Bragg

It is still difficult to fathom that Pam is no longer with us. I had met her through AJHA and the AEJMC History Division, but our friendship bonded during our time together as we edited Journalism History (along with Kim Mangun). Pam’s generous and supportive nature made that work rewarding, as she spent innumerable hours ensuring that the journal was something in which we could all take pride. Pam nurtured the authors, graciously navigated bureaucratic minefields, and maintained high academic standards that resulted in work that was always better because of her attention. But even more than that was her attention to people. Pam was an encourager and someone who looked for ways to build bridges between people rather than pull them down. She never ended a phone call without asking about me and my family. And, likewise, she would share news about her beloved family and her students, who all meant so very much to her. I will always regret that she was not able to join us at AJHA in Pittsburgh. We promised to get together soon, never dreaming that our communication a few weeks ago would be our last. In our loss, may we all strive to remember Pam by embodying her spirit, with an encouraging smile or word for someone. That would be our greatest testament to her and her life.

David Davies

Losing Pam is heartbreaking. She was an incredible friend, research partner, and scholar. She was unmatched in her dedication to her friends, her work, and her profession. Her loss is a huge personal loss as well as a loss to journalism and public relations scholarship.

While I have so many friends and colleagues deeply committed to their students, I've never known anyone who cared so deeply for her students as Pam. Her teaching and her students were so very important to her, and students returned her affection. She told me repeatedly that the relationships she forged with her students was the best part of her life as a professor.

Here's a few tidbits of background on Pam you more than likely already know but that I'll pass along just in case:

She finished her PhD at Southern Miss in Fall 2013 and had a book contract to get it published before her defense. For all of us on her committee, we had never had a student who worked as hard as Pam and who did such comprehensive, incredible work as a graduate student. She was one of a kind.

She led the way in founding the book series Women in American Political History with Lexington Books, recruiting an advisory board of leading scholars and me as co-editor. The seven books in the series are one more testament to her drive.

AJHA members David Sloan, Jinx Broussard, Erika Pribanic-Smith, David Davies, Debbie van Tuyll, and Parry met for dinner during the 2017 AJHA conference.

Elisabeth Fondren

Dr. Pam Parry was a giant in the field of government-press relations. We will cherish her memory and her important scholarship. Her warmness, her extraordinary peer-support, and her mentorship of early career scholars are an inspiration to all of us. We will miss Pam terribly and keep her family in our prayers. 

Michael Fuhlhage

I'm at a loss for words. Pam’s SEMO bio page lists this advice for students: “Be honest. Take responsibility. Do your best. Exude kindness and generosity. Repeat all of those things all day every day.” She lived every one of those. She was devoted to her students and to the discipline; she was a hardworking, careful scholar; and she was a meticulous, patient editor. Above all, she was a good, kind person.

Carolyn Kitch

Many people have noted how kind and supportive Pam was toward other researchers. It strikes me that that is what editorial and academic leadership really is -- having sustained faith that what we do in our research matters, deserves respect, makes a difference in our students' lives, and will have meaning for scholars of the future. Pam's genuine and unwavering belief in the value of historical scholarship -- and the value of the people who do such work -- is a model for the field.

Meg Lamme

Pam was all energy, loved history and teaching (we had many conversations about her book, Eisenhower: The Public Relations President), and worked so hard and so successfully to create and build the Lexington (now Bloomsbury) book series. She recruited and supported newer and established scholars to elevate their work, serving as a coach, a mentor, and an editor. 

Kim Mangun

Pam Parry called me in 2020 with an invitation: Would I consider teaming up with her and Alabama professor Dianne Bragg to edit Journalism History? I asked for a few days to think about it, but it really wasn’t a tough decision. Working on the journal with two terrific scholars and editors would be personally and professionally interesting and rewarding. And, being part of the publication’s upcoming 50th-anniversary celebration would be memorable.

Pam’s leadership style was one of inclusiveness and collegiality. She respected our opinions and suggestions and valued our service to the journal. The three of us quickly developed a close working relationship and a seamless process for reading, copyediting, and proofing accepted manuscripts on deadline. Pam worked closely with authors throughout this prepublication process to ensure that their best work appeared in Journalism History. Occasionally, someone would take the time to acknowledge her help in an email or a handwritten note; such gestures meant a lot to Pam. But, she knew that the journal would not exist without teamwork. Pam was unstinting in her praise and so very generous with compliments.

Pam, Dianne, and I collaborated for close to three and a half years. During our tenure we shared professional passions—for history, journalism, stellar research, teaching—and celebrated many family milestones, like births, weddings, and graduations. Pam often talked about her nieces and nephews, whom she was very proud of, and the service she did through her church community. She also was thrilled to tell Dianne and me about the invitation she received to deliver the keynote address at a gala at the Eisenhower Presidential Library in October 2023. In photos emailed to us after the event, Pam beamed with pleasure; the expert on Dwight Eisenhower was in her element with members of the Eisenhower family and community and political leaders.

Pam Parry was kind, thoughtful, and big-hearted. Pay someone a compliment today and remember our good friend and colleague.

Parry and Teri Finneman enjoyed a dinner celebrating their retirements from Journalism History during the 2024 AEJMC convention.

Will Mari

She was always so engaged and thoughtful, especially with junior scholars. I was fortunate to be able to work with her and learn from her kind and generous example.

Jon Marshall

Pam was one of the first people I met at my first AJHA conference in Birmingham. Since then I came to know her as a brilliant, kind, wise, and generous friend who was completely dedicated to the study of media history. Every conversation with her left me with a smile. She was an excellent editor who managed to be both rigorous and encouraging.

Cayce Myers

Pam Parry was a brilliant scholar and a truly kind soul who left us far too soon. She was generous with her time, her knowledge, and her encouragement, and I was fortunate to communicate with her as she shared her insights and inspiration. Her passion for her work was contagious, and she was not only a guiding voice but also a genuinely good person—good-natured, thoughtful, and always willing to help. It is heartbreaking to lose someone so bright and giving, and she will be deeply missed.

Erika Pribanic-Smith

I remember meeting Pam at the Birmingham AJHA conference in 2009; Dave Davies introduced us at the Thursday evening reception, and she was genuinely happy to be there. When I took over as chair of the PR Committee the next year, she enthusiastically joined the committee. That was the first of many opportunities I had to work closely with her, and I enjoyed being not only her colleague but also her friend. She would have been a stellar president. For that and many other reasons, her passing is a tremendous loss.  

Parry, Lexie Little, Rachel Grant, Lisa Burns, Amber Roessner, and Jason Lee Guthrie participated on a 2024 panel at the American Political History Conference in Nashville.

Amber Roessner

Pam's advice to her students was: "Be honest. Take responsibility. Do your best. Exude kindness and generosity. Repeat all of those things all day every day." She lived by those words.

Pam was the kindest and most constructive editor I have ever encountered both as editor of the Women in American Political History series and as editor of Journalism History. She was a consummate advocate of the scholarship in our field and so generous with her wisdom and her praise.

She offers an instructive example to live by. "Be honest. Take responsibility. Do your best. Exude kindness and generosity. Repeat all of those things all day every day." I will remember her words each and every day as I navigate the world, and I know our AJHA family will, too.

David Sloan

Pam was one of the most energetic media historians I’ve ever known. Even with all the projects she had going on, she recently took her school’s MLK holiday break to visit my wife and me. The roundtrip required a drive of twelve hours. The purpose was for Pam and me to discuss some research and publishing projects. It hadn’t been long since she had completed her tenure as editor of Journalism History, and at that time she had accepted a position on the editorial board of the journal Historiography in Mass Communication. She knew it was just an honorary position but required work. During her visit with me and Joanne, she talked enthusiastically about book-length projects she was working on.

With her work ethic, she combined the human graces of graciousness, genuineness, friendliness, and humility. When she talked about her research, it was never to boast but simply to share information about projects that excited her.

Parry, Vanessa Murphree, Jinx Broussard, Willie Tubbs, and Dianne Bragg at the 2015 AEJMC Southeast Colloquium.

Willie Tubbs

Pam, who I met at my first academic conference in 2014, was the best colleague a person could hope for and a scholar of immense skill. I can't recommend her book, Eisenhower: The Public Relations President, enough. Media history at its finest. On a personal note, I sincerely would not be where I am as a faculty member without Pam. She invited me to contribute chapters to one of her books, involved me in numerous service opportunities, advocated for me to become an editorial board member of an academic journal, and served as one of my external reviewers when I went up for tenure. She stood to gain very little from helping me; she just had a heart for people and helped everyone she could. It's my hope that I can one day do for some of my students and younger colleagues what she did for me.

Debbie van Tuyll

Pam was more than just a colleague; she was a true friend, someone I could rely on for honest opinions and ideas. I will truly miss her positive energy and lovely presence. She was one of those people who I looked forward to seeing every year at AJHA

Kimberly Voss

Pam was one of the most significant mentors I ever had. I worked with her on two books and was starting a third. She was a wonderful editor - helpful with revision ideas and gentle with criticism. We shared a love of the Kansas City Chiefs and often exchanged messages about the team. She will be dearly missed.