Donald Kenneth Woolley

Donald Kenneth Woolley died Tuesday, June 14, 2005, in Nashville, Tenn., following a brief illness. He was 73. Mr. Woolley resided in Columbia, S.C., until last year.

Born in 1932 in North Plainfield, N.J., Mr. Woolley was a retired photojournalism professor, speaker and newspaper columnist.

Mr. Woolley graduated from the University of Missouri’s School of Journalism and received his Master of Arts in Public Relations from the University of Iowa’s School of Journalism.

He began his career as editor and photographer of Octoraro Newspapers in Quarryville, Pennsylvania, before becoming chief photographer and manager of the photojournalism department of the Columbia Daily Tribune in Columbia, Missouri. He spent two years as manager of the Public Relations Department of International Shoe Company in St. Louis, Missouri, where he was responsible for community relations and press relations.

He then began a highly regarded career as a photojournalism professor. He was named assistant professor at the University of Iowa School of Journalism, where he headed the photojournalism sequence and taught courses in photojournalism, picture editing and public relations. After 10 years, he was named Associate Professor at the College of Journalism of the University of South Carolina, where he retired as a tenured professor and head of the Photojournalism sequence. He taught courses in photojournalism and visual communications.

Mr. Woolley was a highly sought speaker in photojournalism, acting as a judge for numerous state and national photojournalism awards and speaking at conferences throughout the country, including the National Press Photographers Association’s renowned Flying Short Course. He was awarded a Life Membership in the National Press Photographers Association and the Iowa Press Photographers Association.

In addition to teaching, Mr. Woolley was a skilled photojournalist working for United Press International, covering events such as the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Big 10 sports and breaking news. He served as a consultant to more than 10 newspapers in five states in the areas of photojournalism, news reporting and editing. He was selected to present one-man photojournalism shows at Northwest Louisiana State University and at the Richland County Public Library in Columbia, S.C.

Following his 1995 retirement, Mr. Woolley provided consulting services in photojournalism, photography and writing services to a number of clients. He was the author of a monthly newspaper column that took a humorous look at real-life situations.

He was a proud veteran of the U.S. Army Signal Corps.

He was the father of S. Scott Woolley, who preceded him in death. He is survived by his wife, Deborah K. Woolley of Nashville. Memorials can be made to the College of the Ozarks, P.O. Box 17, Point Lookout, MO 65726.

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