Klein College is mourning the loss of one of its own.
Professor Bryan Monroe died suddenly on January 13th of a heart attack. He was only 55.
He was often known as the first person to interview Barack Obama after he was elected, or as the last person to have a major interview with Michael Jackson before his death in 2009.
But his colleagues and students in Annenberg Hall got to know him as so much more.
“He had this almost goofy smile on his face. He had an almost childlike amusement at it all… it was like. Can you believe this stuff? That was his attitude!” said fellow journalism department professor and assistant chair Larry Stains.
Office neighbor and good friend Lori Thalps said, “I don’t know if Bryan called me his work spouse, but I called him my work spouse. He and I really bonded over the fact that we both had kids the same age. We both loved to cook. He was a really good cook. He would often bring in one of his latest creations.”
“He was one of those professors who really wanted you to understand and grasp the material. He cared about everyone showing up to class, he cared about everyone being present. I couldn’t be thankful and grateful to have learned from Professor Bryan Monroe,” said one of Monroe’s former students and Temple Update alumna Aleeya Mayo.
Fellow journalism professor Aron Pilhofer, who had recently worked closely with Monroe, wished the two had even more time to work together.
“You meet people in this business and you instantly go wow – I wish I could have worked for that person. I would I could be edited by a person, and Brian is that person… was that person,” he said.
Monroe’s family has created the Bryan K. Monroe Scholarship Fund in his name to “provide financial assistance to students who aspire to use journalism to make the world a better place.”
You can support the fund by clicking here.
“Your support will enable the college to honor their beloved colleague and to help students follow in Bryan’s footsteps to achieve their dreams,” members of his family said.
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