Dr. Albert T. Scroggins Jr., dean
emeritus of the College of Journalism, died Saturday, Nov. 21,
2009. He was 89.
 Dr. Scroggins replaced George Buchanan as dean of the college
in 1965. During his tenure, he oversaw continued growth of the
master's program. He also was the leading force in bringing the
Southern Interscholastic Press Association to the University
of South Carolina. Scroggins continued to support scholastic
journalism throughout his lifetime and was awarded SIPA's first
Distinguished Service Award in 1979.
Upon his 1985 retirement, he was named Dean Emeritus of the
college; was awarded the state’s highest honor, the Order
of the Palmetto; and was named an honorary life member of the
South Carolina Broadcasters Association.
A U.S. Navy veteran of WWII, he served in the South Pacific.
He received a B.S. degree from Auburn University and B.J., M.A.
(English) and Ph.D degrees in Journalism from the University
of Missouri, where he was a graduate assistant in English and
an assistant professor in journalism. He headed the mass communications
and campus publications programs and held academic positions
at the University of South Florida, Southern Illinois University
and Samford University.
Dr. Scroggins headed several national, regional and state organizations.
He served as president of the Columbia Advertising Club, the
Columbia Media Club, and the Florida West Coast Chapter of Sigma
Delta Chi; Governor of the Third District of American Advertising
Federation (SC, NC, and VA.); and president of the Accredited
Schools and Departments of Journalism and of the Alabama Public
Relations Association. He was national president of Kappa Tau
Alpha.
Dr. Scroggins received the Distinguished Service Award from
the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communications,
the Silver Medal Award from the Columbia Advertising Club, the
Distinguished Service Award from Southern Interscholastic Press
Association, , the Third District American Advertising Federation’s
Legion of Excellence Award. A South Carolina Scholastic Press
Association award named for him recognizes outstanding high school
journalists.
He was included in the Diamond Circle, which recognized 75 people
for their service to the University of South Carolina College
of Journalism and Mass Communication. He and his faculty were
honored by the Secretary of the Army for designing the Advanced
Army Public Affairs course. The University of South Carolina
chapter of Kappa Tau Alpha was named in his honor in 2001. He
cared deeply for his students and supported close relationships
with the press, broadcasting and advertising professionals.
A Tribute to Dean Scroggins
by Gary Dickey (Journalism, 1972)
From InterCom, Fall 1984
Blue eyes
It's been more than a decade since we
faced each other across the desk in a
showdown of sorts. A bewildering array
of transcripts, representing my
fragmented academic life to that point,
lay on his desk. For more than half an
hour, the dean had worked at the adding
machine, trying to combine the
confusion of quarter, semester, and
trimester hours from a half dozen colleges, correspondence courses,
and military and professional experience into
some comprehensible whole.
 At that moment he simply sat looking
at me while silent moments passed. The
steel blue eyes seemed to penetrate far
beneath the surface, and deep inside I
squirmed trying hard to keep the panic
from showing in my eyes.
At length he spoke quietly. "So you
think you're ready to graduate?" he inquired.
"I think I have more than the required
number of hours," I said.
Again the silence seemed to chill the
room as he selected one of the transcripts from the desk and
perused it as one would a restaurant menu.
"You barely made it over the hump in math, I see. I
don't know, Gary," he
sighed. "I just don't know ...barely over
the hump." His voice trailed off and
he bent toward me again, head lowered, eyes boring Into mine
as if to uncover every sin of my college career.
It seemed to call for an atonement of
some kind on my part. "Damn – he
would have to pick that transcript," I
thought. I had worked harder for that D
in freshman math than I had for an A in feature
writing.
From somewhere in the nethermost
reaches of my mind, a voice said: "You
can't outfox the fox – he has twice your
wit, strength, and maneuverability." At
the same time, I heard my own voice
mumbling something to the effect that
"math never was my favorite subject."
At that moment I decided that I hated
those blue eyes.
"That's one of those continuing
dilemmas we, as educators, will always
face – to know exactly what adds up to
an educated person," he was saying.
"And it's a point in your favor to know
where your weaknesses lie, as well as
your strengths."
"I contend that we can't always just
add up hours and say that 200 hours or
so equals an educated man or woman.
The hours on a transcript are merely an
indicator that one has been exposed to
certain skills - but the mark of a journalist
is how he puts those skills together
to get the job done."
"Oh damn - here it comes," I
thought. I hated those blue eyes even
more.
"Tell you what," he said, "You go
down and sign up for our practicum in
journalism. That's where we put all the
skills together. You make it through that
and I'll sign your diploma," he said.
Suddenly, the burden was lifted; I
floated. The blue eyes smiled - and I
loved those blue eyes. |
