George Westland Sr.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Dr. George Allen Westland Sr., 84, of Memphis died Monday, Aug. 11, 2008, at Baptist Memorial Hospital in Memphis.

Visitation will be from 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday, and the funeral will be at 10 a.m. Friday, both at Memphis Funeral Home Poplar Chapel. Burial will be at 3 p.m. Friday at Forest Hills Memorial Gardens near Morley, Mo.

Dr. Westland is a retired journalism and public relations professor at the University of Memphis. A former owner/editor of the Jimplicute-IllMo-Chaffee Leader Oran News, Dr. Westland was also a consultant to the Homebuilders Association of Memphis, North Mississippi Home Builders Association; consultant to the Cooper Co. Hotel Management Group; and the Insurors of Memphis.

He was awarded the "Tiger Pride Award" from the University of Missouri and a recipient of the Herbert Lee Williams Award for outstanding contribution to the University of Memphis Journalism Department. Westland received bachelor and master journalism degrees from the University of Missouri and received his Ph.D. from the University of Mississippi.

Dr. Westland was preceded in death by a daughter, Gerene Kay Westland.

He is survived by his wife of 55 years, Patricia Westland; two sons, George A. Westland Jr. of Memphis, William Stuart Westland (wife Helen) of Chapel Hill, N.C.; six grandchildren, George Allen Westland III of Columbia, Tenn., Taryn Shea Westland and Mindyn Lei Malone of Memphis, Darcy, Jessica and Jeremy Westland, all of Chapel Hill.

Any memorials may be sent to the PRSA-Al Westland Scholarship Fund or the University of Missouri School of Journalism for advertising and education, Columbia, Mo.