Scholarship Honors Professor Emeritus John Coffee

Emerson College recently established a scholarship for beloved Emerson faculty member Professor Emeritus John Coffee who passed last month. The new memorial scholarship is geared towards journalism students who display substantial financial need.

Coffee was a long-term member of the journalism department, having taught for 35 years at the college. In addition to teaching history courses, Coffee authored a book on the history of Emerson. The book, Emerson College, A Century of Eloquence, was written with the help of Richard Wentworth ’79.

Coffee’s scholarship fund has been created to recognize the complex but distinct relationship between history and journalism, according to Barbara Rutburg, Associate Vice President of Alumni Relations. Rutburg quotes former Washington Post publisher on the matter, “Journalism is the first rough draft of history.”

A memorial service for Coffee was held at the First Church in Boston last month. Contributions for the John Coffee Memorial Scholarship can be mailed and made payable to Emerson College:

John Coffee Memorial Scholarship Fund
Emerson College
Development and Alumni Relations
120 Boylston Street, 7th Floor
Boston, MA 02116-4624

By Jeeyoon Kim