Communication chairman remembered as dedicated

Colleagues of Dr. Ferrell Ervin remember him as a leader who was dedicated to his work, to his co-workers and to students.

The 57-year-old chairman of the Department of Communication at Southeast Missouri State University and former president of the Cape Girardeau Board of Education died Friday after battling abdominal cancer since May.

Though his health was fading, he had continued to work, whether from the hospital or in his office.

Ervin once joked, "'I don't know how I'm going to get anything done when I am well,'" said Dr. Susan Gonders, associate professor of mass communication.

"He lived what he did," said Dr. Jim Dufek, professor of mass communication. "He worked with people to improve their lives."

Ervin had served from 1995 to 2001 on the Cape Girardeau school board, with four years as president. During his term, three new schools were built, two bond issues were passed and several buildings were renovated.

"Ferrell had a way to cultivate other leaders," said Dr. Bob Fox, a former board president who worked with Ervin for his entire six years.

Ervin had encouraged Gonders to participate in the two most significant organizations in public relations, she said, and she was recently elected as a board member for both.

In addition, Ervin "listened to ideas, to the needs and wants of the teacher and to the aspirations of the students," Fox said.

Gonders said Ervin had implemented suggestions by graduating mass communication majors.

Ervin had worked for 17 years to acquire a national accreditation at Southeast in public relations, journalism, advertising, radio and television, which would make Southeast the first university in Missouri with national recognition in all five professions, outdoing University of Missouri at Columbia's national accreditation in journalism.

The department had recently submitted to the Accrediting Council for Education in Journalism and Mass Communications a self-study that spanned five years on how the 12 accrediting standards had been met. A team will arrive Sunday to thoroughly review the department's efforts.

The funeral will be at 2 p.m. today at Ford & Sons Mount Auburn Funeral Chapel.

jmetelski@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 127