Dr. David Ritchey, a professor emeritus of The University of Akron, passed away on April 6, 2024 after a brief health struggle. We remember him as a friend to The Buchtelite. In Dr. Ritchey’s PR Writing course, he would tell students that if they could get their work published in The Buchtelite, they would earn an automatic A. Appearing in the media is, after all, the goal of all media relations efforts. He always stressed the importance of the students becoming published authors. A prolific local theatre critic, David believed in the power of the pen.
How many of the Buchtelite’s editors and reporters came from Dr. Ritchey’s encouragement? We have to guess quite a few.
Dr. Ritchey taught at The University of Akron for more than 30 years. He was an avid fan of showing his class the tornado shelter in the basement. We never learned whether or not he had a traumatic experience with a tornado, but he definitely believed strongly in weather safety. He tied that short field trip to the basement of Kolbe Hall in with his initial lecture on crises.
A Dr. Ritchey field trip that required a few more airline miles was the one he took to London with his PR students. During their study abroad they experienced Public Relations from a truly global perspective. He was also a Fulbright scholar to Romania and a globetrotter in his personal life as well.
An award-winning teacher, David also took the time to find and nominate his students for a variety of awards. He believed in the power of recognition and was always looking for ways to show off his students and make sure their talents and hard work was getting noticed.
David was known for being a character inside and outside of the classroom, and this is reflected in the memories students shared in the above In Memoriam. He clearly had a deep impact not only on their memory, but on their careers and lives as well.
If you would like to share a memory or story about Dr. Ritchey, please do so in the comments. We look forward to reading them.
Thank you David, for being an ardent Buchtelite supporter, and for making sure we all knew what to do if sirens started going off. I will be sure to let my students know where to go.
Molly Becker • Apr 22, 2024 at 3:40 PM
I was honored to have Dr Ritchey be my mentor and friend. He invited me to numerous classes as a guest speaker and I enjoyed those moments immensely. He was proud of my successes and he should be, as I credit him for many of the choices I made. I leaned on him for advice on numerous occasions. When I was bored or unhappy at a job he told me to, “ make it the job you want it to be.” I followed and still follow those words. He encouraged me 27+ years ago to apply for the job I have and it turned into my career. I am forever thankful to my professor, my mentor, and my friend.