| Graduation Year | Class of 1963 |
| Date of Passing | Jul 24, 1998 |
| About | Obituary published by The University of Montana: The School of Journalism lost an inspirational leader and a beloved colleague July 24 when Dean Joe Durso Jr. died of massive heart failure at his home in Victor. He was 52. Joe was enjoying the first week of a long-awaited two-week vacation when he was stricken. His loss is a huge blow to the school. Joe had agreed last summer to serve as interim dean while the university conducted a search for a dean to succeed Frank Allen. When the UM administration announced in June that the search would continue through the next academic year, Joe agreed to serve another year as acting dean. Joe had a significant impact on the administration of the school, especially in the last year. He strengthened the professional program, improved communications with alumni and friends and reached out to the professionals in the media by conducting writing workshops and visiting newspapers and broadcast stations, Joe raised substantial amounts of money from foundations, alumni and supporters to help the school continue its tradition of excellence in preparing students for jobs in the media. At the school's graduation ceremonies in May, the faculty and staff presented Joe with a plaque that expressed their appreciation for the exceptional work he had done as dean. Joe had been an excellent teacher and administrator before taking the job as acting dean. He was hired in 1984 to serve as chairman of the Radio-TV Department, and had served once previously, in 1993, as acting dean. His teaching skill recently led him to collaborate on a just-finished book on writing for broadcast media with longtime friend Mervin Block, a former newswriter for CBS and ABC network news. Joe also wrote a book last year, "Growing Up Western," with Monty Hall. And, he was researching and writing a book on the natural history of a Montana trout stream. The natural history book made use of Joe's degree in biology from Cornell University. He also earned a master's degree in journalism from Columbia. Joe began his broadcasting career in 1970 as a television news reporter for WETA-TV, a public station in Washington, D.C. He later became director of editorials and community affairs for WCBS Radio in New York, then led the CBS Radio Stations News Service in Washington, D.C. Before coming to UM in 1984 Joe spent two years as news and programming director at WBBM in Chicago, a CBS all-news radio station. The school has established the Joe Durso Memorial Fund to support both undergraduate and graduate student reporting projects. Joe is survived by his wife Maureen, his daughter Joanna, and his brothers Peter, Christopher, and David. |
