Alums pay tribute to journalism department's founder
Before he established the Department of Journalism in 1961, beloved journalism professor Joseph Nettles had an impressive track record at Richmond.
In 1926, while still a student at Richmond, Nettles reported for the Richmond Times-Dispatch. When he graduated he moved on to the Newport News Daily Press, eventually becoming the paper’s Williamsburg bureau chief. In 1936 after spending five years working as a staff writer for the Associated Press, Nettles returned to his alma mater as the director of public relations and the alumni secretary.
With his passion for journalism and experience in the field, he developed Richmond’s first journalism course, Journalism 101, in the fall of 1940. In 1944 his career at Richmond was interrupted when he responded to the call of duty and served in the U.S Navy for two years during World War II.
When he returned to Richmond, Nettles eagerly involved himself with students, advising writers for The Messenger and The Collegian. In 1961 he established a major in journalism and eventually resigned from his other positions at the University to develop the program.
Finishing his career of nearly 40 years at Richmond, Nettles retired and shortly thereafter received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from the University. After his death at age 74, Mercer University Press published his book So Beloved Cousins, a biography about the late Richmond religion professor Solon Bolivar Cousins, in 1983.
Gone but far from forgotten, this legendary professor is remembered through the scholarship established in his name. Former students remember him as inventive and challenging; a source of confidence and encouragement; and a true mentor. In his establishment of the department, Joseph Nettles set a high bar for teaching and students today still gain the benefits of his pioneering work.
Tributes
Dear Joe, here's some news
By Louis Rubin
Mentor, father figure, and friend...
By Joy Winstead
He ... implored us to lift our sights
By Paul Duke
The best instructor...
By Earle Dunford