The Henry F. Meyer Student Media Center was dedicated Friday in memory of a man who served Mississippi State for over five decades.
In a ceremony outside the doors of the Student Media Center, Jimmy Abraham, interim vice president for Student Affairs, welcomed those in attendance and spoke briefly about the contributions that Henry Meyer gave to the university.
Meyer, who died in 2000 at the age of 87, printed The Reflector from 1946-65, and took a position as a journalism instructor at MSU in the late 1960s. He served as the advisor to The Reflector for nearly three decades.
Frances McDavid, the current adviser to The Reflector and one of Meyer’s students, said Meyer fought hard to keep the student press free.
“(Meyer) was a founding member of the journalism component of the department of communication. He was a strong defender of students’ right to operate a free press- free from administrative control,” McDavid said.
Several of Meyer’s students attended the dedication ceremony. Charlie Mitchell, the managing editor of The Vicksburg Post, and Sid Salter, the perspective editor of The Clarion-Ledger, both spoke at the event.
Mitchell drew laughter from the crowd by showing some of the old journalism tools he used while writing under Meyer, including a pica pole, a proportion wheel and a roll of film.
“Henry Meyer taught us to love life, to love people and to laugh at every opportunity,” said Mitchell. “People will always need to know who Henry Meyer was.”
Salter said that after he had graduated and started writing for professional newspapers, Meyer would still keep in touch and occasionally send him letters of praise, which Salter said he still keeps to this day. He said although Meyer was a firm teacher, he understood the importance of lifting his students up and “giving them wings.”
“Henry Meyer could make you feel better about yourself than anyone you will ever meet,” Salter said.
Meyer’s daughter, Marjorie Meyer Goldner, spoke on behalf of the Meyer family.
“This is the place of my father’s heart,” Goldner said as she gestured toward the Media Center. “His heart and soul was the property of the MSU bulldogs.”
Goldner thanked many people in the crowd, including Denise Kellum, the business manager for The Reflector, for putting together the event, and Meyer’s students Sammy and Frances McDavid, who Goldner said she thought was the only successful match her father made besides him and her mother.
“Thank you,” said Goldner, once again motioning toward the Media Center, “For giving his heart and soul this gift of remembrance and respect.”
Mitchell, Salter and McDavid all said they remember Meyer’s stern critiques written in red pen.
“He was demanding of excellence,” McDavid said. “He used his red pen as a tool to get a young reporter’s attention.”
Mitchell joked about the “power of the red pen” in his speech.
“When (Bic) came out with the red pen, Meyer had found the tool that would humble us,” Mitchell said.
These memories brought smiles and chuckles to Meyer’s former students and others in attendance. However, the bittersweet recollections shared and the unveiling of the new name of the Media Center also brought reverence and more than one tearful eye to the crowd assembled outside.
Goldner said her father embodied many of the timeless qualities that are necessities for quality journalists:
“Integrity, enthusiasm, The First Amendment, the ability to communicate … and God knows he loved to laugh.”