Beloved Rider journalism professor remembered for ideals, personal warmth

Professor Willard E. Lally, who nurtured three decades of Rider University journalism students into successful careers, died Nov. 17, 2018, in Lake Wales, Fla. He was 96.

From his arrival at what was then known as Rider College in 1955 to his retirement from Rider’s Lawrenceville campus in 1985, Lally closely mentored hundreds of students who remember him fondly for his straightforward manner, personal warmth and journalism ideals.

Peter G. Sparber ’69, who initiated an endowed scholarship at Rider in 1997 to honor him, says Lally was a role model. Sparber’s own career carried him from local news reporting to running his own public affairs firm in Washington, D.C.

“If he had needed to work in a world where the best journalism is called ‘fake news,’ Professor Lally would have ignored the name-calling and just plugged forward with his insistence on ‘accuracy, accuracy, accuracy,’ crisp and well-structured text, a stern look as he edited, and an impish grin when it all came together,” Sparber says. “He was a unique blend of talent, integrity, drama when it served, loyalty to his beloved wife and us, his ‘kids,’ and a defender of faith in solid reporting. We all knew he couldn’t live forever but we sure hoped he might.”

Born June 10, 1922, in Fremont, Neb., the son of Cora and Thomas Emmett Lally, Lally graduated from Fremont High School in 1939 and entered Midland College (now Midland University) in his hometown.

World War II interrupted his college education. He served overseas for three years, a chapter in his life he always spoke of modestly.

He called himself “a skinny kid” who upon enlistment was issued a Thompson submachine gun, a weapon he could barely carry. One day, its weight almost flipped him off the gangplank of a ship he was boarding, he told Harvey Trabb ’70 with a laugh.

Trabb, who spent a career at Rutgers University in media relations and on the staff of the university president, says the military soon replaced Lally’s gun with a keyboard — “a better and a much more natural fit.” The young recruit went on to serve for three years as a teletype operator for the 8th Air Force of the U.S. Army Air Corps in the British Isles.

Following the war, he completed his Midland degree and earned a master’s from Colorado State College of Education. That led to a job teaching high school at David City High School in Nebraska.

After some years of teaching, he entered the prestigious graduate journalism program of the University of Missouri, earning his second master’s degree. His first job in journalism was at the St. Joseph News-Press in Missouri.

One evening in 1955, Lally got a call from a college in Trenton asking if he might be interested in teaching journalism. He first thought the call was from the small city of Trenton, Mo., and wasn’t interested. But when he learned the opportunity was in New Jersey, his mind opened. After flying to Rider for an interview, he was hired.

Rider, then primarily a business college, had been offering a sequence of journalism courses under Professor Frederick Ferris since the 1930s, making it one of the first programs in the profession at an East Coast college.

Lally’s first years were spent on Rider’s former campus in downtown Trenton. “Journalism was in the basement,” he recalled.

In addition to teaching at various times every one of the school’s dozen journalism courses, he quickly became faculty adviser to the student newspaper, The Rider News, a responsibility he held for 27 years. Alumni recall him as an engaged, hands-on, look-over-the-shoulder adviser who would accompany student editors to the printing plant on production nights.

In 1961 he launched a second student newspaper, The Night Rider, which delivered news of interest to evening students. He advised its student editors until 1977.

He described his student newspaper staffs as “the greatest bunch of kids in the world.”

Alumni say he inspired them to maintain high ethics in covering the news. Memorably, Joseph Pulitzer’s mantra, “Accuracy, accuracy, accuracy,” became his own signature incantation. Lecturing with arm gesticulations, he would “croon” the phrase repeatedly in classes. It became part of his identity, like the furry red hat with earflaps he wore in winter.

While teaching, Lally also worked part-time in the profession as an editor at the Asbury Park Press and The Evening Times (now The Times of Trenton).

At first, his “commute” to Rider was just a couple of blocks on foot. Living in the same apartment building as he did on East State Street was Olga Stella “Terry” Kepics, a Trenton native working as a restaurant manager. In 1960, they were married. Kepics was the love of his life, and they were inseparable for the next six decades.

“He loved his students, he loved teaching, he loved the craft of journalism, and most of all he loved Terry,” says Warren Keller ’76, who became an attorney in Kentucky.

The couple lived in Ewing during most of Lally’s teaching years, and upon retirement, they moved to Saddlebag Lake Resort in Lake Wales. In recent years, until Kepics died exactly three months before him, they lived in Grace Health Care Center in Lake Wales.

In retirement, Lally founded the Lake Wales Literacy Council and served as its first president. He worked as a certified literacy tutor for more than 15 years and volunteered at the Lake Wales Extended Care Center. He proudly participated in local veterans’ parades in which, he noted sadly, the cohort from the Greatest Generation shrank visibly year by year.

A member of the Lake Wales Lutheran Church throughout his time at Saddlebag Lake, he served on its board of elders, board of social ministry and church school board. He also served as a lector at services.

Bill and Terry periodically returned north by car, often meeting with former students for lunch or at their homes. Until his death, he maintained active contact with dozens of alumni through handwritten notes, emails, Facebook posts and phone calls. Several former students visited him in Lake Wales.

Marie Power-Barnes ’80, ’91 was a longtime friend. She started her career in hospital public relations, moved into newspaper advertising and marketing, and now directs market research at Thomas Edison State University. She also is an adjunct instructor in Rider’s Department of Communication, Journalism, and Media.

“Mr. Lally was the quintessential Midwestern gentleman, a thoughtful, compassionate and empathetic old soul who fought passionately to maintain journalistic integrity and ethical standards,” she says. “He taught me to never apologize for expecting perfection.

“Well past our time at Rider, Mr. Lally gave his all and then some to his students — always supportive, always our cheerleader. We truly were his children. We ‘Lally kids,’ along with our own children and even our fur babies, became his and Terry’s family, and he relished and loved us all. Over 40 years, our friendship deepened; he was my boss, professor, second dad and dear friend. We were family. I can only pray that one day just one of my former students might consider me their ‘Mr. Lally.’”

The mutuality of the admiration society was affirmed in the University’s description of the scholarship fund honoring him. It included this quote from Lally: “The students make the whole job worthwhile. I have always loved their successes and joys.”

Peter Manetas ’77 notes that Lally fostered respect, not only between teacher and students but also among the students. “I may not have fully appreciated it over the years, but Mr. Lally created a special bond among us — even among those of us who may not necessarily have known each other face to face,” he says.

Manetas served as sports information director at Rider before a career in University fundraising, which he now directs at Cabrini University. “Although there's hardly a day in my professional life that's not impacted by his influence, it's perhaps Bill's friendship, concern and ability to create such a special collective experience that I'll treasure most,” he says.

Brian Wood ’73, who worked as a newspaper reporter and editor and then completed a career in corporate communication with AT&T and its successors, ended an online tribute to Lally with a pithy description:

“Mentor. Friend. Counselor. Professor. Supporter. Guiding light. Father figure. Bill was all this and more to those of us who were lucky enough to have him in our lives.”

Husband of the late Olga Stella “Terry” Kepics Lally, Lally is survived by a nephew and niece, Greg Kepics and his wife, Kathy Morphew-Kepics of Belle Chasse, La;  a nephew, Tony Kepics, and his son, great-nephew Ben Kepics of DeLand, Fla.; two great-nieces, Melissa Kepics and her son, Stephen Euper, of Belle Chasse, La., and Jenny Kepics Stassi, her husband, Joey, and her son, Jude, of Harahan, La.; a great-nephew, Trace Kepics and his wife, Julie, of Palatka, Fla.; and a sister-in-law, Zredah Kepics, of DeLand, Fla.

A funeral service was held on Nov. 23 at the Marion Nelson Funeral Home in Florida. A webcast is available online.

In New Jersey, a memorial service will be held on Saturday, Dec. 15, at 11 a.m. in Gill Chapel on Rider University’s Lawrenceville campus. A complimentary luncheon will follow in Lynch Adler Hall 202. RSVP to Theresa Lesko ([email protected] or 609-896-5000, ext. 7298) if you are able to join the luncheon.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in support of the Professor Willard E. Lally Endowed Journalism Memorial Scholarship Fund. Online gifts may be made at www.rider.edu/lallymemorial. Checks payable to Rider University may be sent to Pamela Mingle, Senior Director of Development, Rider University, 2083 Lawrenceville Road, Lawrenceville, NJ 08648 with Lally Endowed Memorial Fund in the memo line.