University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications (UFCJC) Advertising Adjunct Instructor and alumni Walter John Starr, Ph.D. 2013, passed away on April 6 in Gainesville, Florida. He was 78.

“John was more than a teacher. He was a mentor and a guiding light, known for his passion for advertising and his deep commitment to fostering student success,” said Huan Chen, UFCJC Advertising associate professor and department chair.

Starr has been an adjunct professor with the department since 2013. This semester he had been teaching Advertising Strategy and Advertising Campaigns. Over the years he has also taught Principles of Advertising, Advertising Management, Advertising Planning, Media Planning, Advertising Sales and Ethics and Problems in Mass Communication.

During his professional career, Starr had been station manager at WGMA-FM in Ocala, sales manager at MARC Radio Group, owner of several Florida radio stations, senior account manager at JVC Broadcasting, a radio station group with stations in New York and Florida, and general manager/general sales manager at WBXY-FM, WXJZ-FM and WYGC-FM in Gainesville.

Starr earned his MBA at Southern Illinois University in 1972 and a bachelor’s degree from Iona College in 1967. He was a mentee and teaching assistant for UFCJC Advertising Emeritus Professor Jon Morris and worked on two grant proposals with him. He also was co-author on two research articles: “Gulf Papers’ Oil Spill Coverage Differs from National Dailies” published in 2012 in the Newspaper Research Journal and “Who Is Wonder Woman? Gender Stereotypes and Heroism in Television Commercials” published in 2014 in Media Report to Women.

He was also active in the Gainesville community. Starr served as a Life South Advisory Board member, a Gainesville Sports Commission Board of Directors member, a member and past president of the Florida Employers of Alachua County Advisory Committee Board of Directors, and a member and officer of the Advertising Federation of Gainesville.

Posted: April 8, 2024
Category: Alumni News, College News
Tagged as: Advertising, Huan Chen, John Starr