As an alumni of the Graduate School of Journalism of Columbia University, I would like to humbly express my deep sorrow at the news of the death of Professor James W. Carey. I wish peace and comfort to the family. Berhanu Tibebu '71 from Ethiopia.

Jim was a great educator and a great guy. I graduated from the University of Illinois and went to Columbia on a Fellowship, so Jim and I had a lot to talk about at U of I reunions.

We always joked that the U of I football team was losing because the university was winning in academics.

It was a privilege to have known Jim.

I took the ethics class with Professor Carey, which he taught with Professor Isaacs. The two of them together, Carey, small in stature, but an amazing mind and so compassionate, and Isaacs, a towering, intimidating fellow, with a huge heart, nonetheless, were quite a team. I will miss Professor Carey’s wit, intelligence, compassion, and passion for the story.
Urania Mylonas, Class of 1997

I had the privilege of being James W. Carey's student at Illinois back in the 70's. I have always admired his imense knowledge and his teaching abilities. He had a profound influence in my academic life and through me also in the formation of several other brazilian communication students that were my students over the years. His death is a really sad news for all of us.

Professor Carey had a twinkle in his eye and radiated pure love for the journalism profession and its practioners. It was an honor and a priviledge to be in his class and just to share the same space. He made you think, deeply. Because he cared, deeply. He was such an extraordinary presence and anyone who was honored to hear what he had to say about the profession made you truly hopeful. He inspired you because you wanted to embody the hope he so graciously bestowed. We are all so much better because of him.
Alison Woo, Class of 1995. Charlotte, NC.

Anyone who worked with Jim collected roughly an anecdote a day. Here's my favorite, among 20 years' worth:

When Columbia's J-school expanded beyond the ability of the International House auditorium to house our graduation ceremonies, we moved the event to the Cathedral of St. John the Devine. We forgot that observant, orthodox Jews are barred by Jewish custom from entering cathedrals. Some of the students asked for a separate graduation ceremony. From among a faculty with many, many Jewish members, including several who write specifically on religion, the orthodox Jewish students chose Professor Carey to speak to them and their parents. To the best of my recollection, here's how he started: "At the Jerusalem Post's newsroom last year, I was saying to...."

Steve Ross, formerly associate professor, Graduate School of Journalism

I knew Jim at the University of Illinois and at the Poynter Institute. He was a fine teacher and scholar, someone who knew the rich history of journalism and also understood the complex ethical issues that reporters face in the era of instant global communication. He also was a marvelous raconteur, with a large repertoire of stories about his travels and many friends.

William Howarth, Princeton University

I was one of Jim's TAs at the University of Iowa in the late 1970s. There are so many memories that it is hard to know which one to share. There is one story that captures his power as a teacher. He taught Cultural and Historical Foundations of Mass Communication, and I recall that on the last day of class the room was packed. And he had used no gimmick to pressure students to show up. It simply was the concluding lecture. But there they were, there to listen to him one more time. He did a brilliant job of wrapping up the course in that final lecture and this was the clencher, this is what I remember. The students applauded him when he finished. He was a master teacher and scholar and he will be missed.

I was not a student of Professor Carey. In fact, my only connection was hearing him speak a few times, and chatting with him at alumni events. But that was enough. I was deeply influenced by his intellect and his perspective. At one lecture, I remember him saying that stories are "made, not found," a deeply subversive and true remark. At another event, this time at a conference of Public Journalism in Washington, I remember him launching into a talk, as if he were an athlete, preparing to run. He actually took a few steps backward before beginning, and then stepped forward, threw his hands out, and launched into his talk. That was the first time I saw him, and he made a big impression on me. I was glad that he was from my alma mater.

Like Phil Pruitt above, I was a graduate student and TA for Jim at Iowa in the late 70s. Jim had the wonderful gifts of eloquence and synthesis. A voracious reader, he remembered everything he read and had the remarkable ability of weaving loose threads into a brilliant and compelling narrative. More a cultural scholar than a journalism scholar per se, Jim's most enduring lecture, I think, was his 1978 AEJMC presidential address on "The University Tradition." It was a call for the return to deep and broad liberal learning at the undergraduate level, and for the revival of public scholars like Walter Lippmann--not increased professionalization. In many ways, that lecture is why I no longer teach journalism, but am part of a limited enrollment classical liberal arts college. Jim wit and wisdom will be missed. Rest in peace.

Roy Atwood, New Saint Andrews College, Moscow, ID