Memorial to Honor Journalism Professor

The Cal State Northridge journalism department will remember one if its own with a memorial reception for the late Kenneth S. Devol, a retired professor who died in December.

Department officials said that Devol was a role model and mentor to thousands of CSUN students during his 30 years on campus.

Many of his former students and colleagues will gather from 5 to 8 p.m. Friday in the University Club to honor Devol’s academic leadership and his commitment to the university.

Devol, who was chairman of the department from 1969 to 1981, was the publisher-advisor to the Daily Sundial student newspaper from 1963 to 1969.

In 1970, he founded the CSUN chapter of Kappa Tau Alpha, the national journalism honor society that was renamed the Devol chapter in 1996.

The memorial reception is free to the public, but donations to the Kenneth Devol Memorial Scholarship fund will be accepted.

The first $500 scholarship in his name will be awarded this spring to an outstanding student in the university’s law of mass communication class, a course for which he was best known and which brought the professor the greatest respect.

The recipient will be chosen for the annual scholarship based on an essay about the future of the 1st Amendment and the news media.

Donations to the scholarship fund may be made by check, payable to the CSUN Journalism Department, Cal State Northridge, 18111 Nordhoff St., Northridge 91330-8311.

Reservations for the reception may be made by calling the department at (818) 677-3135.