Professor Still Watches Over Students Through Scholarship

During the 30 years he taught journalism at Rider, Willard E. Lally gave much to the Rider University community. He was a teacher, a mentor, a counselor and a friend to his students.

Alumni who worked on the campus student newspaper, The Rider News, fondly recall him as an engaged, hands-on, look-over-the-shoulder advisor who would accompany student editors to the printing plant on production nights.

A newspaperman at heart, Lally assisted student editors in 1961 as they launched a second student newspaper, The Night Rider, which delivered news of interest to night school students. He then took on the role of advisor at both campus newspapers—The Rider News for 27 years and The Night Rider for 16 years.

In classes, Lally’s always-passionate voice would often be heard teaching the tenets of journalism through a familiar refrain, “accuracy, accuracy, accuracy,” which he adopted from Joseph Pulitzer’s mantra. For three decades, that message, relayed in Lally’s straightforward style, helped launch Rider students into successful careers as journalists.

In 1997, one of his grateful students, Peter G. Sparber ’69, established the Professor Willard E. Lally Endowed Journalism Scholarship in his honor. With the support of other former students, colleagues and friends, that fund has since assisted 22 students studying communications and communications-related studies at Rider.

After his retirement, Lally made certain that his estate would add to that legacy with a planned gift in support of that scholarship. Through his thoughtfulness, the care and concern Lally always showed for students now extends even after his 2018 death to support generations to come.

Learn how you, too, can support Rider University through a scholarship or other generous gift. Contact Ryan W. Baumuller at 609-896-5233 or rbaumuller@rider.edu to learn more.