Alex Nagy, former Dean of the Middle Tennessee State University College of Mass Communication died Sunday, January 17, at Tennessee State Veterans Home in Murfreesboro, Tenn. Alex was born in Akron, Ohio, January 28,1925, to Sandor and Clara Gal Nagy.

During World War II, he served in the South Pacific for 27 months as a radio operator with the 37th Infantry Division, saw action on Bougainville in the Solomon Islands and was in the first wave to hit the beach in the Luzon landing in January 1945. He was present when General Tomoyuki Yamashita, commander of Japanese forces in the Philippines and known as "the tiger of Malaya," came from his headquarters in Luzon's Cordillera Mountains, arriving at the surrender site in a sedan chair carried on the shoulders of Japanese soldiers.

After the war Alex earned a bachelor's degree in Journalism from Ohio University and a master's degree in Journalism and a Ph.D. in Mass Communications from the University of Wisconsin - Madison. While at OU, he was a member of Theta Chi fraternity and Sigma Delta Chi journalism society. During his senior year, Theta Chi members selected him as the one who contributed most to the welfare of the chapter.

Before beginning his teaching career, Alex worked briefly for Iowa weeklies in Osage and Monticello, and then was a staff writer for the Sheboygan Press, a Wisconsin daily, for 10 years. He was the Director of Public Information and Assistant Dean at the University of Wisconsin - Sheboygan for nine years before going to St. Michael's College in Winooski, Vermont, to establish a journalism program.

In 1973, the Wisconsin Alumni Association of Sheboygan County awarded him its outstanding alumni award. He was a past president of the Fox River Valley-Lakeshore Press Club in Wisconsin, and while in Vermont served as secretary of the Vermont Press Association.

Alex came to Murfreesboro in 1980 and chaired the former MTSU Department of Mass Communications for seven years. He led the department in an administrative reorganization that resulted in accreditation and the creation of a new College of Mass Communication, now the College of Media and Entertainment. He was interim dean of the College of Mass Communication for two years and was a journalism faculty member for 25 years before retiring in 2005.

Alex is survived by his wife of 64 years, Joan G. (Marr) Nagy; two daughters: Jean Nagy (Will Brecht) of Murfreesboro and Barbara Nagy (Mark Oefinger) of Groton, Conn.; three sons: Robert (Sharon) of Green Bay, Wis., Steven (Marion) of Murfreesboro, and Thomas (Ellen) of McDonough, Ga.; a sister: Helen Deak of Cleveland, Ohio; nine grandchildren: Lauren E. Nagy, SC, Gretchen Brecht, TN, Ryan Nagy, WI, Heather (Kevin) Jankowski, TN, Nicholas Nagy, TN, Christopher Nagy, TN, Joshua (Laura) Nagy, KY, Alex Nagy, WV, and Ashley Nagy, GA.; and two great-grandchildren: Dallas and Tristan, both of WI. His parents and a sister, Margaret McEwen, preceded him in death.

Donations in his memory may be made to the Alex Nagy Opportunity Scholarship at Ohio University. Please make checks payable to the Ohio University Foundation and write "Alex Nagy Opportunity Scholarship" on the memo line. They may be mailed to the Ohio University Foundation, P.O. Box 869, Athens, OH 45701-0869. To give online, visit www.ohio.edu/give and click on "Make a one-time gift." Select "Other" from the drop-down menu for the gift designation, and type "Alex Nagy Opportunity Scholarship" in the text box.

A memorial service will be held Saturday, January 30, at the Woodfin Memorial Chapel, 1488 Lascassas Pike, Murfreesboro, with visitation at 9 a.m. and the service at 10 a.m. Deacon Pete Semich of St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church will officiate.