Dr. Barry S. Sapolsky, 61, James E. Kirk Professor of Communication at The Florida State University, passed away on Nov. 28, 2010, after a long and hard fought battle with chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

A memorial service was held at Temple Israel on Mahan Drive on Sunday, Dec. 5, at 1:30 p.m.

Dr. Sapolsky began his career at Florida State University’s Department of Communication in 1977, after earning his bachelor’s degree at Bucknell University in 1971 and his Ph.D. at Indiana University in 1977.  At Indiana, Barry studied and published with renowned media effects scholar Dolff Zilmann.  Barry quickly made his mark in the scholarly world and with his colleagues at FSU.  His research examined how such controversial media issues as violence, coarse language and sexuality affected different audiences.  His work in these areas now functions as scholarly touchstones to a new generation of media scholars. 

He also served in every major capacity at the department level, including five years as department chair — a testament to the admiration and respect with which he was held by his colleagues. 

Later in his academic career, Dr. Sapolsky directed the Communication Research Center, an important campus and community resource for his students and colleagues.  In 2004, he was honored with the Kirk endowed professorship, a distinction that marked both his scholarly achievement and his unwavering commitment to the life of the department, college and university. 

An endowed FSU scholarship will be established to honor his dedication to mentoring students and helping them begin their careers.