Jon was an old school professor who was more comfortable using his mind than a computer mouse.

One of my first jobs at the College was to assist Jon in managing his large Jour 368 class, particularly the creation of new tests each semester. Jon maintained hundreds of potential questions in his test bank—reams of paper with printed questions. His test creation method when I first arrived: use scissors to cut out individual questions; use Rubber Cement to glue the questions on legal paper. It took several years before he successfully mastered the more efficient cut and paste method on his Macintosh. When I teased him that he was just like a child —it wasn’t that he couldn’t learn how to do it but that he wouldn’t—he’d just rub his head and grin.

He mastered his e-mail program more easily. His favorite opening line in many a message: “Psssssst, Mrs. Kornegay, you might want to consider….” Jon always had a lot of ideas, and he passed them along as they came to him.

Even when I was no longer assigned to assist Jon, he continued to call for help when he was technologically stuck and “scared to click.” He eventually just gave me his computer id numbers and passwords so I didn’t have to leave my office to get him straightened out.

He was always extremely grateful for the help, though. He shared his basketball season tickets with me. He loved the Gamecocks and I’m sure giving up first pick in the “lottery” of games was a huge sacrifice for him. And throughout the years he routinely promised me his first born grandchild, assured me I was earning extra jewels in my crown, and told me he owed me and to “put it on his tab. ”

But the truth is, Jon, I owe you. All of us at the J-School owe you! All of your thinking, and planning, and ideas on how “we’ve just go to do a better job at….” was never about you, about how it would look in your tenure file or earn you a merit raise. It was about making us ALL better—better staff, better faculty, a better program —because that’s what the students deserve.

Psssssst, Jon. We still hear you!

I was not lucky enough to have known Jon in a USC classroom, but only in the classroom of life.  You all will probably quickly pick up on the fact that I ain’t no journalism student!!  However, Jon was a great communicator and I love to talk, so we always had lively discussions.

My husband Danny and I came to know and love Dorothy and Jon through the J.O.Y. Sunday School class at Shandon United Methodist Church.  We knew them as church members, but forged our friendship with them standing in our kitchen one evening after a Sunday School dinner party and laughing and telling stories.  We knew right then that this was a couple we wanted to know better.  Jon’s ability to make you feel important was truly a gift.  He had many; the gift of laughter, listening and love for family and friends.  I believe these gifts are the ones that sustained him throughout his long and tenuous fight with lymphoma.

It was Jon’s heart disease that got him involved with the American Heart Association and helping me get volunteers to help during the evening of the Midlands Heart Ball.  For four years Jon “offered” his students a chance to volunteer at this event.  Often times we would have to make a substitute list as they were so eager to serve.  Each of them saw “Dr. Wardrip” as a very special man.  These were the best volunteers ever, as he would selectively offer this opportunity.

Jon and I traded many emails organizing this volunteer effort and he always had something in each message that would cheer me up, even when he was the one that needed cheering.  I would tease him that we needed to stop the emails or Danny and Dorothy were going to get jealous.  His great sense of humor would show through as he would end a reply with XXXOOO.   What a character!

Danny and I experienced his fondness for his students when we visited Dorothy and Jon one evening and he showed us photos from the most recent Maymester trip to NYC.  He shared with us a little about each student, and you could feel the pride he had for their accomplishments and their potential to contribute to society.

Danny and I, and the member of the J.O.Y. Class will miss Jon and his infectious smile, but we’ll cherish the future with the lady he left behind who handled their difficult journey through his illness with utmost grace.   God bless you both.  XXXOOO

I would like to extend my deepest and most heartfelt sympathies to Dr. Wardrip's family, friends, and colleagues.  After changing majors from Media Arts to Advertising, my very first course in the J-school was Dr. Wardrip's JOUR 201 class, and he made me feel 100% confident that I had made the right decision to choose Advertising as my major. 

In addition to being a wonderful teacher, he was also such a jubilant and positive person.  I will always remember his old faded plastic Cubs cup that he drank from during every class, and one of the most random memories that I have of him is that day that he told the class that we all needed to get our own email addresses.  He left such a lasting impression on every J-school student that he taught that we all know what a "Wardip test" is.  Needless to say, I pay attention to every detail of an article when I read it now, thanks to Dr. Wardip :)  

I will miss him dearly, and I know that he will never be forgotten by the students, faculty, and staff of the University of South Carolina School of Journalism and Mass Communications.

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