Family of 1910 Journalism Graduate Provides Gift to School

Steve Weinberg Magazine Journalism Faculty

Columbia, Mo. (April 25, 2005) -- The family of Robin Gould, BJ '10, has endowed a gift at the Missouri School of Journalism. Gould was a member of the School's first graduation class.

From Left: Robin Gould's son Warren Gould, of Dallas, Texas; his daughter Margaret Dent, of Hannibal, Mo. and Steve Weinberg, J-School biographer.

"We truly appreciate the generosity of the Gould family," said Terry.

Gould transferred to the University of Missouri from the University of Chicago to study journalism. At Missouri he was the class vice president, president of University Players and a member of the Student Senate and Kappa Tau Alpha. He also studied at Missouri Bible College and did volunteer preaching at the Church of the Disciples.

Upon graduation, Gould returned to his home in El Paso, Texas, to begin his responsibilities as circulation manager of the El Paso Herald. In 1913 Gould entered full-time ministry. From 1916 through 1937 (with time out for service as an army chaplain in the 354th Infantry of the 89th Division during World War I), Gould served Methodist churches throughout Northern Missouri. Gould died in 1950 in Wilmington, Del.

Walter Williams started the world's first school of journalism at the University of Missouri in 1908. As the first dean of the school, he believed that journalism education should be professionalized and provided at a university. Toward that end, with the blessing of the University of Missouri and the state legislature, and with financial help from the Missouri Press Association, Williams started the school in September of that year.