It is with great sadness that we announce that Dr. Lee Wood, Professor Emeritus of Journalism at Pitt-Johnstown, passed away this summer. “In my numerous visits with our dear colleague, the thing I remember most is just how much he loved his journalism students and how passionately committed he was to their success and how thrilled he was to share their stories. When we talk about up-close and personal attention to students’ professional success, Lee Wood embodied that ethos. We extend our deepest and heartfelt condolences to his family and loved ones,” stated Pitt-Johnstown President Dr. Jem Spectar.
Dr. Raymond Wrabley, Vice President for Academic Affairs and a colleague of Dr. Wood’s for over twenty years, said: “Lee was not only a passionate champion of journalism but also of his students. He pushed them to meet the highest standards, and in doing so, prepared them to make their mark in the profession—where many have gone on to win awards and change lives. More than that, Lee was a gifted teacher who cared deeply about the students in his classroom. We’ve recently approved a new faculty position in journalism, and my hope is that we can bring in someone with the same heart, spirit, and dedication to students that Lee so fully embodied.”
Another longtime colleague, Dr. Diane Nicodemus, Associate Professor of Communication, said: “I was lucky to work with Dr. Leland Wood for many years in UPJ’s Humanities Division. As chair of Journalism and a generous teacher, he lived the values he taught—careful reporting, clear writing, and respect for others. I watched him pore over drafts with students, page by page, helping them find their voice—and the confidence that comes with it. It’s no wonder so many alumni say their careers began in his classroom. We’ll miss his steady guidance, his kindness, and the example he set every day.”
Dr. Valerie Grash, Associate Professor of Fine Arts, wrote: “An old-school journalist, Lee taught his students to value the rigorous gathering of information, to write with excellence, and to always uphold journalistic ethics in truth telling. He was incredibly proud of how his students fared after they left UPJ and so many of them excelled both in their professions and in life. As a colleague and friend, Lee was fiercely loyal, trustworthy, and witty. A native Johnstowner, he deeply cared about his community, even serving for a time on the Greater Johnstown school board. His honesty and integrity, as well as his friendship, will be sorely missed.”
Professor of Music Jeff Webb wrote: “Lee was a tremendous colleague and mentor. He taught with absolute dedication to his students, rooting for their success along the way. He built a thriving Journalism department that developed and nurtured award-winning students. As a mentor, he showed me what it meant to be a professor with integrity and the importance of sharing your gifts and talents with the community both at UPJ and in the Johnstown community at large. He will be missed.”
Dr. Wood joined the faculty at UPJ in 1991 as an assistant professor of journalism and was promoted to the rank of associate professor in 1997. He taught Journalism classes at UPJ until his retirement in 2020 and, by his own admission, he "never missed a day's work" in all those 29 years. According to his Division Chair, Dr. Michael Stoneham, “Dr. Wood was devoted to his students and to The Advocate, the student newspaper, and produced many prize-winning journalists during his tenure.” Dr. Wood served as the chair of the Department of Journalism and advisor to The Advocate. He was an award-winning teacher and engaged member of the faculty, serving as a member of various campus committees and as an officer of the Faculty Senate.
Dr. Wood was a journalist at heart and published over 5,000 byline stories and 8,000 first-edit stories, working for the Tribune-Democrat, the Pittsburgh Press, the Fort Myers News Press, the Sioux Falls Argus Leader, and Journal Newspapers based in Springfield, VA.
Dr. Wood was a graduate of Greater Johnstown High School. He received his bachelor’s degree in English from The Pennsylvania State University, where he also earned a master’s degree in journalism. He completed a PhD at Ohio University, writing a dissertation titled “When the Locomotive Puffs: Corporate Public Relations for the First Transcontinental Railroad Builders, 1863-1869.”
The UPJ family extends its deepest condolences to Dr. Wood’s family, friends, and former students.