Charles Scarritt

A misspelled name in an assignment submitted for Charles Scarritt's reporting class at the University of Alabama meant an automatic "F." "People's names are important to them. So get them right," he told his students.

After Bob Ward graduated and was working for The Huntsville Times, he understood why Scarritt was so insistent on this seemingly small detail. "He was teaching exactness. If you learned to be precise about names, you learned to be careful with all the facts in your reporting."

That passion for care and precision is but one lesson Scarritt imparted to the 10,000 journalism students he taught at the University of Georgia, Auburn, Stephens College, Texas Western University, and, for 24 years, The University of Alabama.

Born and raised in Kansas City, Scarritt attended the University of Missouri. His work as a copy reader, reporter, editorial editor, columnist, and city editor at many papers, including The Kansas City Star, prepared him for a career as a journalism instructor.

Scarritt also authored a book on Grover Hall and the Ku Klux Klan, designed a ranking system for college football teams that was used in several newspapers, sponsored the University Press Club at the University of Alabama, and was actively involved in the formation of the University's College of Communication Alumni Association.

Although a demanding teacher, Professor Scarritt was devoted to his students and enthusiastically followed their careers after graduation. When he died in 1979, his former students, friends, and colleagues established the Charles W. Scarritt Endowed Memorial Scholarship Fund for aspiring students in journalism.

"There are legions who studied under him and carried his influence into life and career," wrote Jim Montgomery. "That influence includes mental discipline, respect for accuracy, the parsimonious use of words, and a holy regard for the institution of journalism. And he returned an affection for his students that followed them through their lives."