Individual Details

Death

COLUMBUS ~ Ray A. Furr, 66, director of public information and head of the journalism department at Mississippi State College for Women, died Saturday afternoon in Columbus following a lengthy illness. A well-known and respected member of the journalism profession, Furr was a native of Wesson. He had been at M.S.C.W. since 1960 following 18 years as vice-president for programming with WAPI radio and television in Birmingham, Ala. He graduated with a bachelor of journalism degree from the University of Missouri in 1930 and later received his master’s degree in English and education from George Peabody College in Nashville, Tenn. He did advanced graduate study at Peabody and at the New York University in public relations. From 1929 to 1935, he was assistant superintendent and acting superintendent of the public schools in Oxford. He later served as associate professor of English, head of the department of journalism, and director of the news service at Winthrop College in Rockhill, S. C. Furr was active in civic and professional affairs, holding such positions as district governor of Carolina’s Kiwanis Clubs, editor of the Carolina Kiwanian, president of the Charlotte, N. C. Sales Executive Club, and a member of the board of directors of the Alabama Broadcasters Association. He was vice-president of the Alabama Broadcasters Association and first vice-president of the Birmingham Better Business Bureau. He organized the Mississippi High School Press Association in 1929 while serving as acting superintendent of the Oxford city schools. He also held the first Mississippi High School Press Conference at the University of Mississippi in 1930, the first conference of its kind for high school editors, business managers, and sponsors of high school publications. A very active but modest man, Furr during his 10 years at M.S.C.W. was responsible for a number of innovations in journalism and public relations. He began the summer journalism intern program in which a number of his journalism students gained experience by working with newspapers over the state during the summer months. He also started the, public relations workshop which was held annually at M.S.C.W. for members of woman’s clubs. In recent years, he was an active member of the national journalism fraternity, Sigma Delta Chi, the American Association of Education in Journalism, and the Public Relations Society of America. He was a member of the First Baptist Church of Columbus and of the Kiwanis Club. He was active in the Mississippi Press Club. Furr is survived by his wife, the former Mary Elizabeth Sugg of Columbus; two sons, Hal Furr, professor of philosophy at the University of Mississippi, and Ray Albert Furr, Jr., a senior at Ole Miss; three granddaughters, Virginia, Susannah, and Elizabeth Furr; three brothers, W. H. and Carl Furr of Jackson and Lester Furr of Wesson; three sisters, Mrs. Edwin Wright, Mrs. Hartman Bates, and Mrs. Thomas Lee of Jackson. Funeral services will be held at 10:30 a.m. Monday in the First Baptist Church of Columbus. Interment will be in the Wesson Cemetery at 5 p.m. Monday. The family requests that those wishing to send flowers send donations instead to the M. S. C. W. Foundation, Ray A. Furr Journalism Scholarship Fund in Columbus. The body will lie in state from 2 to 6 p.m. Sunday at the Carrier Chapel on the campus of M.S.C.W.
Clarion-Ledger, Jackson, Mississippi, September 20, 1970

Soc Sec No

State (Year) SSN issued: South Carolina (Before 1951).