Remembering Ruthann Lariscy

Ruthann Lariscy was the type of friend who celebrated birthdays of colleagues deployed overseas by shipping them a party-in-a-box, complete with a birthday cake. She was the type of professor who attended weddings of alumni long after graduation. And, she was the type of optimist who exuded an enthusiastic “you’re wonderful,” every opportunity she could.

Lariscy, a professor emerita who worked at Grady College for more than 30 years, died July 12, 2024, in Athens, Georgia.

“One of the most pivotal moments in my life was the day I met Dr. Ruthann Lariscy as an undergraduate in the Grady College,” said Beth Avery Foster (ABJ ’01, PhD ’06) of her graduate school advisor. “I would not be the professor, woman, wife or mother I am today without her love and mentorship, over the course of decades.”

Foster is a professor and director of the School of Advertising and Public Relations at the University of Tennessee.

Chris Wood (ABJ ’87, PhD ’06), another advisee who asked Lariscy to serve as chair of his doctoral committee, remembers what a first-class person she was.

“‘You’re wonderful!’ That was Ruthann’s response—under nearly all circumstances,” said Wood, who serves as president of JWA Public Communications. “It’s one of the things I remember most about her—how good it felt to be in her class or her office at Grady, or just in her presence. She’s the reason I came back to UGA to pursue my doctorate—a desire to study political communication with her and Dr. Spencer Tinkham.”

Another former student, Vince Benigni (PhD. ’99), a professor of communication at the College of Charleston, recalls what a role model Lariscy was.

“Ruthann was a bright light, whether it be in an auditorium filled with students or at a gathering at her home,” Benigni said. “Ruthann was a mentor to many; she exuded tremendous positivity in addition to a wealth of knowledge on various subjects that contributed greatly to Grady and its constituents.”

At Grady College, Lariscy taught public relations principles, public relations research and graduate seminars in public opinion and public relations. She was a prolific researcher, studying political advertising, campaign management, public relations standards and health messaging. Her research was written about in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The Washington Post, The Boston Herald and The Los Angeles Times and covered in broadcast by NPR, PBS, Italian National Television, Georgia Week in Review and network affiliates. She wrote more than 50 competitively judged academic journal articles and presented at more than 100 national and international conferences.

In 2000, she won a $750,000 grant for a project with the Centers for Disease Control titled “Communicating Genetics Information to the Lay Public,” but she was widely known for her scholarship in political advertising. Prior to joining the Grady College faculty, Lariscy worked for a political consulting firm and taught at Auburn University. 

Lariscy retired from Grady College in 2014.

She earned bachelor’s degree in political science/history and a Ph.D. in political communication from the University of Missouri. She received a master’s degree in communication from Southwest Missouri State University.

“Ruthann and her colleague, Spencer Tinkham, set the tone for the field of political advertising research and the importance of refutation,” recalled Dean Krugman, who worked with Lariscy for years at Grady College before his retirement in 2011. “Spencer is often described as genius-like. But let’s be clear—Ruthann was the spark and engine that made moved the work forward.  Her work is consequential and enduring.”

Tinkham died in 2023.

“Ruthann and I were long time friends,” Krugman said. “I had the pleasure of working with her as a colleague and through various administrative roles. Simply put, serving with Ruthann was a reward. She was driven to excel whether it was in the classroom or in social science research. Her Intro to PR course was critical as it served a conduit for future students and gave others a very good sense of the field’s importance. Ruthann took this responsibility very seriously and referred to the course as her ‘product.’”

Jeff Springston, who directs the Grady College MFA in Narrative Media Writing program, remembers the pride Lariscy shared in being a member of the AdPR department and in her research with Tinkham. “She always celebrated everyone’s achievements in the department,” Springston recalls. 

Kaye Sweetser, who was a Grady College colleague before taking a job at San Diego State University, echoed how Lariscy was “smart, nurturing and the life of the party.”

Sweetser recalled when she had been deployed to Afghanistan, Lariscy sent her a Cecilia’s cake for her birthday.

“Yes, she sent a birthday cake to Afghanistan,” Sweetser recalled. “She sent an entire birthday in a box—party hats and plates, too! The cake was fresh thanks to dry ice and it was a delicious slice of home, but entirely telling of the type of colleague she was. She very much was all that I think of when I think of the Grady spirit.” 

It was the relationship that she had with her students that will be her legacy.

“I’m so grateful for the time Ruthann invested in me, not only as the chair of my doctoral committee and a research colleague through her Opinion Research Solutions, but as a dear friend,” Wood continued. “I will miss those family dinners at the Lariscy house, followed by song requests for me to play on her piano. But mostly, I will miss her genuine, warm smile, and her words of reassurance and encouragement.”

Avery agrees.

“Dr. Lariscy had a brilliant and curious mind matched only by her beautiful heart and devotion to all of those lucky enough to be in her life,” Avery concluded. “She was a role model of strength, grace, and love, who inspired me daily. Today, with my own advisees, I work to give them even a fraction of the support and devotion she gave me to pay it forward. I take heart in thinking about her reunion with Dr. Spencer Tinkham and know they are still laughing and having fun as they come up with brilliant research ideas and plans together!”

Read Ruthann Lariscy’s obituary here.

A celebration of Ruthann Lariscy’s life takes place July 28, 2024, at 5:30 p.m. in the Conservatory at the State Botanical Garden of Georgia.

Author: Sarah Freeman, FreemanS@uga.edu