Memorial service in November for journalism professor, author

The man who wrote the book on graphic communications - Nevada journalism professor and 17-year Gardnerville resident, Theodore Elbert Conover, 88 - died on Sept. 14, 2009.

A celebration of life service will be held at the Carson Valley United Methodist Church in Gardnerville on Nov. 28.

Mr. Conover was a journalism professor at the University of Nevada, Reno, from 1960 until he retired in 1982.

He was named chairman of the department of journalism in 1965 and was credited with turning the random advertising, copywriting and public relations classes into a "sequence" of courses and adding broadcast journalism to the curriculum.

Under his direction the department was first accredited in 1970.

He continued as department chair until 1974.

He authored "Graphic Communications Today" which was first published in 1985.

The book was for beginning design and journalism students. The fourth edition was published with author William Ryan in 2003.

Born, Aug. 10, 1921, Mr. Conover attended Ohio University, but was interrupted by World War II. During the war he was awarded two Purple Hearts for wounds received while serving in Europe.

The second was for severe wounds, putting him in an English hospital for three months followed by a year of recuperation at Fletcher Army Hospital in central Ohio.

On May 13, 1944, he married Edna Harsha of Frazeysburg, Ohio. It was during this time that the couple found a newspaper in Baltimore, Ohio, that had stopped publishing during the war.

Fulfilling a boyhood dream of owning a newspaper, they bought their first newspaper.

Over the next 13 years they bought and sold five newspapers bringing each of the weekly papers back to life.

Mr. Conover also completed work on his journalism degree from Ohio University and his masters from the Ohio State University.

The couple moved to Reno from Centerburg, Ohio, in the summer of 1960 when Conover worked in the journalism department at the University of Nevada.

Mr. Conover was preceded in death by wife Edna in October in 2004.

He is survived by his son David (Pulou) Conover of Annapolis, Md.; daughters Laura (Fotu) Taua, Nancy (David) Elston of Portland, Ore., Linda (Bill) Wampler of Rocklin, Calif.; grandchildren Mellisa, Litiana, and Laura Conover, Cierra Taua and Sarah Wampler

Mr. Conover was a lifetime member of the United Methodist Church.

He was an active member of the Lions International, American Amateur Press Association, Kiwanis Club, and Friends of the Douglas County Library.