Lanie Tankard gracefully traversed the room, diplomatically greeting many of her late husband’s colleagues, friends and admirers who poured through the doors to honor James W. Tankard Jr., recipient of the 2006 Eleanor Blum Distinguished Service to Research Award.

Tankard was a leader in mass communication research and was a professor emeritus in journalism at the University of Texas at Austin. He died Aug. 12, 2005 after a long battle with lung cancer. He was 64.

The author or co-author of five books and more than three dozen journal articles, Tankard was chosen for the Blum Award in recognition of his accomplishments in a broad range of communication studies including social science theory, advertising, language and the Internet.

Lanie Tankard will accept the award on behalf of her late husband at the AEJMC business meeting at 10 a.m. Friday.

Stephen Lacy, professor and former director of the Michigan State University School of Journalism, began the panel discussion speaking about the impact Tankard had on his career.

“I saw this wonderful example and then left to be stunned by the rest of the world,” Lacy said, in reference to Tankard’s superior teaching methodology. “I realized there were a lot of patterns I learned from him. He was patient, curious and eager to have people join him in his curiosity.”

Maxwell McCombs, a professor at the University of Texas at Austin, occupied the office next door to Tankard and discussed the unique relationship his colleague had with students.

“I witnessed the intense traffic of students in and out of his office. He didn’t rush people, though, and I would often notice a student who had been waiting for 30 or 40 minutes to see him,” McCombs said.

“I became well aware of the detailed guidance and mentoring he offered them.”

Lanie Tankard followed McCombs with a heartfelt tribute to her husband’s passion for his research, students and family.

“All of Jim’s students feel like part of our extended family,” she said as two other Tankards – Jim’s youngest brother, Fred, and youngest daughter, Margaret—sat in the front row. “As they carry on what he taught, they keep him alive.”

“Seeing all my dad’s accomplishments and work with students opened up different possibilities for me beyond just journalism in my educational pursuits,” said Margaret Tankard, who will attend Stanford University in the fall.

Lanie Tankard shared stories of her husband’s old Volkswagen called “Old Black,” which he drove for nearly three decades.

“If there’s an icon that represented his approach to research and life, it was Old Black. Eventually the car wouldn’t go above 55 miles per hour. To me, it’s Jim’s indomitable spirit,” Lanie Tankard said. “He didn’t let cancer stop him. Jim was still coming up with research ideas until the day he left this world.”

The presentation, which was sponsored by the AEJMC Elected Standing Committee on Research, came to a close with the announcement of the Tankard Book Awards. Paula Poindexter, a colleague of Tankard and associate professor at the University of Texas at Austin, announced the award. It was unanimously approved by the AEJMC Board of Directors during its December 2005 meeting and will recognize the best books published by AEJMC members starting next year.

“It will be the perfect tribute to a respected colleague, teacher, and friend that will allow his legacy to live on forever,” Poindexter said.