Dr. Elinor Kelley Grusin's Obituary
Elinor Kelley Grusin, 84, of Germantown, TN, passed away peacefully on February 26, 2025. Born on July 1, 1940, in Somerville, TN, she was a trailblazer in journalism and education, leaving behind a legacy of excellence, mentorship, and advocacy for truth in reporting.
Elinor’s passion for journalism was evident from the start. She earned her B.S. in Journalism and English from Memphis State University, her M.A. in Journalism from the University of Mississippi, and her Ph.D. in Journalism and Mass Communication from Ohio University. She began her career as the only female hard news reporter at The Commercial Appeal, where she worked for five years before transitioning into academia.
Her influence in journalism education was transformative. She taught at Ohio University and the University of Mississippi before becoming a dedicated professor at the University of Memphis for two decades. Throughout her career, she was honored with numerous accolades, including the Scripps Howard Foundation National Journalism Teacher of the Year Charles E. Scripps Award in 2007. She also received the University of Memphis Distinguished Teaching Award, the Dean’s Outstanding Research Award, and multiple advising and alumni awards.
Elinor was especially proud of founding the Scripps Howard Citywide High School Newspaper Program in 1997, a project she led alongside her teaching and research. Through this initiative, she nurtured the voices of young journalists, helping them publish The Teen Appeal, a citywide high school newspaper supported by The Commercial Appeal.
Her scholarly contributions spanned multiple academic journals, and she co-edited Media in an American Crisis: Studies of September 11, 2001, with Dr. Sandy Utt. In recognition of her lifelong commitment to journalism education, she was awarded professor emeritus status by the Tennessee State Board of Regents upon her retirement in 2008.
Elinor’s impact extended beyond the newsroom and classroom. She was a mentor, a pioneer, and an advocate for excellence in journalism. Her legacy lives on in the many students, colleagues, and journalists she inspired throughout her remarkable career. In retirement, she found her greatest happiness in spending time with her three grandchildren, who, along with those she mentored, will carry on her memory through their achievements, values, and the lessons she imparted.
Elinor was preceded in death by her father, Lester Kelley, her mother, Ann Josephine Kelley, and six sisters: Josephine Jones, Geraldine Crandall, Lucille Barbour, Dorothy Sims, Louise Carlton, and Norma Abshure.
She is survived by her beloved son Nathaniel Kelley Grusin, his wife Betsy Grusin, and her three cherished grandchildren, Catherine, Alexander, and Emma Grusin, who brought her immense joy. She also leaves behind her brother Ben Kelley, her former spouse Martin A. Grusin, and Ben Grusin, his wife Anna, and their children Henley and Maelyn, to whom she was a loving mother figure. Additionally, she is remembered with great affection by her loving nieces and nephews.
A funeral will be held on Sunday, March 2, 2025, at 1:00 PM, preceded by a visitation at 12:00 PM at Memorial Park Funeral Home.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Elinor Kelley Grusin Journalism Alumni Enrichment Fund at The University of Memphis, WKNO, the Mid-South’s public media organization, the Arthritis Foundation, or to the charity of the donor’s choice.
Elinor Kelley Grusin Journalism Alumni Enrichment Fund: https://securelb.imodules.com/s/1728/c20/form.aspx?cid=1546&gid=2&pgid=688&sid=1728&bledit=1&dids=1009
WKNO: https://afg.secureallegiance.com/wkno/Load/WknoTV.aspx
Arthritis Foundation: https://www.arthritis.org/?form=FUNMPPXNHEF
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