Back to Tributes>>
Following is a letter written to Dr. John Scott,
principal of Washington Park High School nominating Dr. Wardrip
for the Hall of Fame:
Dear Dr. Scott:
I understand that Professor Jon Wardrip has been nominated
for the Washington Park High School Hall of Fame and I write
in support of his candidacy for this award. Jon’s colleagues
love and respect him very much so it is an honor that he has
asked me to write a letter on his behalf. Dr. Wardrip and
I have been colleagues and close friends since he joined our
faculty in the mid 1980s. My wife, Sally, and I frequently
socialize with Jon and his wife Dorothy, and we know his children
well.
Professor Wardrip is worthy of this prestigious recognition
for many reasons. He is an outstanding advertising educator
who has influenced hundreds of college students many of whom
are now working as account executives and managers on Madison
Avenue. For many years, Dr. Wardrip has managed our internship
program in advertising and public relations. In that role
he has used his contacts around the country to help place
our students in internships in New York, Washington, D.C.,
Atlanta, Charlotte, and, yes, in several cities and towns
in South Carolina. Approximately seven years ago, he started
teaching a “Maymester” course the essence of which
has been a one-week field trip to New York. His goal in this
endeavor has been to get students to expand their horizons
and think beyond South Carolina. “Maymester” is
an intensive five-week academic term that gives students at
the University of South Carolina the opportunity to take non-traditional
academic courses. Professor Wardrip has been so successful
in teaching this course that he is now able to schedule all
the visits at agencies and other organizations that employ
graduates of our program—students get orientations and
briefings on these field trips from former University of South
Carolina students who went to the “Big Apple”
as part of Professor Wardrip’s class and came to realize
they could work in large markets like New York.
In October I had the opportunity of observing a moving testimonial
to Jon’s mentorship of students and the importance of
this field-trip experience. Sally and I had attended a USC
football game with the Wardrips and another couple and we
were having dinner after the game in the Vista area downtown.
One of the young women working in the restaurant came up to
Professor Wardrip, teary-eyed and grateful to see Jon again.
She was one of the lucky students who had attended Jon’s
field-trip course to New York in the summer 2004. She told
Dr. Wardrip that the trip was transformative—she had
traveled very little and this trip to New York had empowered
her to believe she could play on a larger stage.
In November the School of Journalism and Mass Communications
honored its outstanding alumni. Professor Wardrip introduced
one of three award winners-- Jason Wagenheim, advertising
director of Conde Nast Traveler magazine and former online
advertising manager for Maxim magazine. Dr. Wardrip gave a
brilliant and touching introductory speech and Mr. Wagenheim
was every bit as good—praising Jon on what a wonderful
mentor he had been and explaining how much he had learned
in Professor Wardrip’s classes. Jason said he is sure
the education he got at the University of South Carolina is
as good as it gets because of educators like Dr. Wardrip.
Our j-school is indeed one of the best in the country so we
attract outstanding students like Jason who grew up in New
Jersey.
Jon has taught our largest-enrollment courses in advertising
and public relations since he came here from Texas Tech University.
Students have flocked to his classes and rewarded him on numerous
occasions by naming him as one of the best teachers on campus—each
year Mortar Board members identify 32 teachers to honor for
excellence in teaching. To win this award once is a great
honor. Jon has won it on numerous occasions. Professor Wardrip
is also an important mentor for junior faculty members—several
of our new faculty members ask Jon to visit their classes
and to write peer reviews of their teaching.
As you may know, Dr. Wardrip is on medical leave this semester
and he may well retire at the end of the summer. I can think
of no more fitting a tribute for Jon than to be named to his
high school’s hall of fame. Dotty, Sarah, and Matt would
not be surprised but they sure would be gratified to see “husband
and Dad” honored in this way. Despite his own considerable
medical challenges over the years, Jon has cared more about
making sure his dear son, Matt, conquered his own medical
problems. Matt has had heart problems all his life—the
love of a wonderful father, mother and sister has helped him
persevere and succeed. He earned his bachelor’s degree
and works with U.S. Air in Washington, D.C. Daughter, Sarah,
was an honor student at the University of South Carolina,
went on to earn a graduate degree in business, and now works
in the White House as the appointments secretary for the First
Lady. Dear Dottie has been at Jon’s side all these years
and together they have built a wonderful life.
In summary, Dr. Jon Wardrip is most deserving of this recognition
and I hope your awards committee decides to honor him as a
member of your school’s hall of fame. He is an outstanding
educator who has touched the lives of so many students and
faculty colleagues. More importantly, he is a wonderful husband
and father! Despite battling his own considerable health problems
over the years, Jon has focused his attention on building
a nurturing environment for his family, especially important
because his son needed even more attention than Jon because
of heart problems. Over the years, I have had the pleasure
of meeting some of the many friends from all over the country
who have visited the Wardrips—relatives and friends
from Wisconsin, fraternity brothers from Arizona, and former
colleagues from Texas Tech. Undoubtedly, these friends would
affirm what I have written here. Professor Wardrip is a “hall
of fame” caliber individual and I sincerely hope that
Washington Park High School bestows this title on him this
year!
Sincerely,
Dr. Lowndes F. (Rick) Stephens
J. Rion McKissick Professor
Back to Tributes>> |
