EDITOR’S NOTE: Update on services for Mike Farrell: Visitation is Sunday, Sept. 1, 4-7 p.m.; funeral is Monday, Sept. 2, 10 a.m. Both at Calvary Baptist Church, 3711 Tibbatts St, Covington. Private family burial is Tuesday.
MEMORIAL: In addition, with the family’s approval, the NKyTribune has established the Michael Farrell Memorial Scholarship Fund at the Horizon Community Funds of Northern Kentucky. Support for educational expenses or internships will go to journalism/communication students in the three NKY counties, Boone, Kenton and Campbell counties, who are attending Northern Kentucky University or the University of Kentucky.
“Mike Farrell was a devoted journalist and an amazing teacher,” said Judy Clabes, his long-time friend and colleague and editor/publisher of the NKyTribune. “It’s fitting that his legacy should be immortalized in providing opportunities for young people through these scholarships. In this special way, Mike’s nurturing of students will continue forever.”
Checks can be sent to:
Horizon Community Funds of NKY
50 E. Rivercenter Blvd., Suite 431
Covington, KY 41011
Designate for: Michael Farrell Memorial Fund
Mike Farrell, co-founder of the NKyTribune and a distinguished journalist and educator, has died after a long illness in hospice care at Rosedale Manor.
Farrell — James Michael Farrell — was on medical leave from the University of Kentucky where he was serving as interim director of the School of Journalism and Media. He was an advisor to the NKyTribune and served as special projects editor.
He is survived by his wife, Marsha, their two grown sons, David and Jonathan, and eight young grandchildren.
“Mike Farrell was a great friend and colleague to the end,” said Judy Clabes, editor and publisher of the NKyTribune. “He was my rock at The Kentucky Post and my ballast through the creation of the Kentucky Center for Public Service Journalism, KyForward.com and the Northern Kentucky Tribune.
“He was also a man of great faith who was devoted to his family — and loved those grandkids. These last few months as his illness progressed have been very hard on his family.”
Farrell suffered from diabetes and other issues and recently had a hip replacement. Several successive falls put him in Rosedale Manor for rehabilitation. His condition deteriorated and he spent the last few weeks in hospice care.
“The man was incredible in his graciousness and kindness and compassion, but also in his deep knowledge and love for journalism and for students,” said Jay Blanton, UK director for pubic relations and marketing and a friend of Farrell’s. “He believed deeply in journalism and the fact that it was a calling. And he believed deeply in students and in trying to get students to take up that torch.”
Mike Farrell, speaking at a UK journalism school event.
A Covington native who still lived in the Latonia neighborhood where he grew up, Farrell had a distinguished career in journalism, having served as a reporter, city editor and managing editor of The Kentucky Post for nearly 20 years.
When The Post closed, he decided to earn his doctorate in communication at the University of Kentucky. His dissertation on the First Amendment reflected his abiding commitment to freedom of expression principles which, on his watch, helped earn The Kentucky Post team a Scripps Howard National Journalism Award for Distinguished Service to the First Amendment. His doctoral dissertation was on the state of the First Amendment in Kentucky.
As a tenured professor in the UK School of Journalism and Media, he taught reporting, journalism history, journalism ethics, and media law and was honored nationally as an outstanding adviser.
He was the director of the Scripps Howard First Amendment Center, which is housed in the UK School of Journalism.
“Mike truly loved teaching,” said Clabes. “Just a few weeks ago, he was still hoping to return to it. He made a terrific impact on his students, just as he made an impact on his community as a journalist and a citizen.”
He was a consultant on the development of KyForward.com and was active in the Society of Professional Journalists, serving on the Ethics and Freedom of Information committees. He was a founder and board member of the Kentucky Center for Public Service Journalism, established in late 2013. KYPSJ is the publisher of both KyForward.com and NKyTribune.com.
Services are pending but will be held at Calvary Baptist Church where he was an active member and leader and taught Sunday School.
Please watch for updates to this story — and please share your remembrances of Mike in comments here.
Mike would want you to see the people who meant the most to him — his family.
I was one of his students at UK and had an obscure route in the program from traditional journalism students. Dr. Farrell was supportive of my goals and helped me out in a lot of ways to achieve them. We talked about faith and family on a regular basis. Sad to hear this news and my thoughts and prayers are with his family.
I grew up with Mike in Latonia. Kindergarten at 9th District through graduating with him at Holmes High. Recently reconnected with Mike at our 50th High Class reunion. Mike was teaching in high school, tutoring me in math at his home in the evenings. Thanks to Mike, I passed math.
Thoughts and prayers to his family. Mike was one of the Best!
Mike and I were involved on the Board of The Committee for Kids in the early years of the organization which is now The Family Nurturing Center. He was instrumental in it becoming a United Way agency which has been invaluable in its growth and impact in the community. I was blessed to have him as a dear friend, who had a positive influence on those who had the privilege to know him. He will certainly be missed. My deepest sympathy to his family.
Shared Ms Boswell’s journalism class with Mike at Holmes High School. What a great, successful and humble guy he was.Prayer for his family and our community.
There are a handful of northern Kentuckians who work everyday to make this community better and they do it without any fanfare or accolades. Mike Farrell was one of those. For him, journalism was a calling not a job. He was a true gentleman in every sense of the word. At a time when this world needs more steady hands on the wheel, we have lost one of our steadiest. Condolences to the family but be very proud of Mike’s legacy.
Jack, You have captured Mike perfectly. He followed his true calling and he was the best at it. Thank you.
I had the great pleasure of working for Mike at The Kentucky Post for 18 years. He was a kind, loving, honorable man who had a positive influence on my life.
My sincere condolences to his family.
I first met Mike at a Chamber Breakfast where we shared a table. I remember him for having a positive attitude. Later, I managed the old Citizens National branch at Fourth and Madison. The KY Post was just across the street. Mike got me involved in The Committee for Kids. I shared unusual local citizens with him. Many of those became featured stories.
If Mike was your friend, you always thought of him as your Best Friend. That is just the way he was. I did see “Reporter” Mike firsthand one day. We went to lunch at the revolving restaurant and there had been a fire on the roof the previous day. They denied that anything happened even though there were photos of the fire. Mike kept asking questions until he got the truth.
I know that I am a better person by having J. Michael Farrell in my life.
I moved from San Francisco to Covington in 1982 to help integrate the newsroom at The Kentucky Post. Needless to say, a 23-year-old kid moving from California to Kentucky was going to experience some culture shock. But Mike Farrell was my city editor and I couldn’t have been more fortunate to have some a kind man and great leader as my direct supervisor. Mike and his wife, Marcia, had me over to their house for Christmas in 1982 because my family was still in San Francisco The Farrells believed I could make it as a reporter, and nurtured my appreciation of their hometown through their kindness. As a boss, Mike was the best. He gave me tough assignments and guided me through them. Mike was in a demanding profession, but he never raised his voice or disrespected his workers. I always wanted to work hard for Mike because I wanted him to look good because he believed in me. I wanted to return his trust by breaking stories under his leadership. I wanted to make him proud of me as I was proud to work for him. The best to Marcia, David and Jonathan and the rest of the Farrells. John C.K. Fisher
I have known Mike for many years. And agree Jack Moreland has described him accurately and beautifully. I had the pleasure of serving with Mike on the board of Senior Services of Northern Kentucky many years ago (in fact I think Mike recruited me) and what I recall most was how effective Mike was in gathering relevant information, digesting it completely, and fearlessly making his well thought out opinion known in his soft-spoken disarming manner. You always knew Mike had the best interest of the organization and the folks it served in his heart but he was never afraid to gently, but firmly, move the organization to make the right , often difficult, decision. When Mike spoke, everyone listened.
Prayers for Mike and his friends and family as they adjust to life without this wonderful person.
I knew Mike Farrell and his family while growing up in Latonia, but I really got to know him as a person and a professional when I became a reporter at The Kentucky Post in 1981.
As a young reporter, I could not have had a better editor and adviser. I remember the advice he gave me one day early in my career after reading one of my first stories. “This reads like a college paper,” he said. “You need to write this story so that your mother can read it with ease.” Mike knew my mother and knew she had dropped out of school in the eighth grade to start working in the family’s bakery business on Pike Street in Covington.
Mike’s early lesson to me was that a good writer does not try to impress someone with the words he uses or the complexity of his sentence structure. Good writing was simply communicating in the simplest way possible, to the largest audience possible. As a writer, you need to do all of the hard work when you are writing an article so the reader doesn’t have to work hard at all to read and understand your story.
Mike was a man of passion for the field of journalism, a man of compassion for others in his community, and man of integrity in everything he did in both his personal and professional life. Our region, our state, and our nation is a better place because of his contributions. Rest in peace Mike Farrell and my deepest condolences to his family.
Deepest sympathy to Marsha, David and Jonathan.
Mike taught me JOU History, Ethics and Media Law. He was also my advisor in the Grehan Building and helped me get my first bylines in the Kernel. More importantly, he was excited to know about me and as I read through many of the memories that my fellow UK Journalism alum, I know I’m not alone.
He was a tough grader, rightfully so, and helped us learn why things had to be in our field.
I remember after every final he’d invite his students to his home in northern Kentucky. It was here that the bonds of teacher and student became stronger, where barriers were broken where it became ever more apparent that he truly cared about us as people.
Mike cared about Journalism and when I met to tell him I was taking my first job in Finance, I could tell he was supportive, if not a little disappointed. Then, three years later, when I told him I was thinking about leaving that field, he was recruiting me back to his passion and mine.
I owe my undergraduate and professional career, in large part, to Mike Farrell. He was a great man and I’ll miss him terribly.
So sorry to hear of his passing. May peace be with you all again soon through his life’s legacy.
Kate Whaley Archer
The late Carol Sutton’s daughter
Florence, KY
UK Journalism Hall of Fame 1985
TIME magazine “Women of the Year” cover 1971
1st woman Managing Editor of a major US Daily Newspaper: The Courier-Journal, Louisville,KY
Flowers and condolences sent from Northville Michigan High School Youth Group in 70’s (written by Janice Nyquist McDougall & Terri Burns Fowler)
Dear Farrell Family, Our deepest sympathy to you all! Mike (PF, Pastor Farrell) was such a light to us as our youth pastor at First Baptist of Northville and strove to impact our lives for eternity. He worked to connect to his students and their families, and indeed is considered family by many of us. His expectations were high, his patience was immense, and his devotion was admirable. Goofy, insecure, fun-seeking teens are not the best at expressing their appreciation and love, but collectively we are now saying, “Thank you for your care, kindness, and dedication. Your legacy lives on through the lives you have touched.” We pray God will pour out His peace, comfort, and hope on Marsha, David, Jonathan and their families. With love in Christ and in anticipation of our great reunion, The FBN Youth Group
My deepest sympathies and condolences to the family of my friend and great colleague, Dr. Mike Farrell. I first met Mike when he was managing editor of the Kentucky Post and I was a professor and administrator in the UK School of Journalism. From the beginning, I was extremely impressed by his great love for his family and his religious faith as well as his commitment not only to the First Amendment but to journalism ethics. Later, I recruited him to pursue a Ph.D. In Communication at UK and served as his advisor and doctoral committee chair. His dissertation on the state of First Amendment law in KY was one of the finest dissertations I had the joy to read. He was a superb First Amendment scholar, which undoubtedly could be traced to his his long and distinguished stint as a professional journalist. At my request, Mike also wrote an ethics chapter for two editions of my media law and ethics textbook and was promoted to co-author of the most recent edition of the book. He was a truly amazing editor and writer, and his contributions to media law and ethics will live on as new generations of journalists come onboard. Mike was also a superb professor, as many of the comments above attest. But he was far more than just a professor to his students. He was a mentor and, more importantly, a great role model. He will be greatly missed by all of us who had the special privilege to know and work with him. His legacy will live on in his former journalism students as they follow his lead in practicing ethical journalism and promoting First Amendment principles.
A TRIBUTE TO DR. MIKE FARRELL
A JOURNALIST, TEACHER AND A MAN OF GOD & FAMILY.
I have finished my dvd of a, Tribute to Mike Farrell and it may be seen on Spectrum Cable and You Tube. TRAVELS Dr. John Stephenson.
Mike Farrell and I go back to the years I spent as President of the Student Government IN 1967 & 68 and He was editor of the school newspaper at Northern Kentucky University Extension of The University of Kentucky. He wrote and editorial one time naming me,”King John” and he was probably justified in doing so, because I was aggressive and fought for many things I believed including making UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY EXTENSION INTO A FULL-TIME NORTHERN KENTUCKY UNIVERSITY. The History department, with Dr. Charles Talbert and the English Department with Dr. William Byron were on opposite sides in this huge battle.
Let me say this even though we might have disagreed on some issues in the school paper and later in his opinions in The Kentucky Post I always fought for his right to speak his mind and I always learned from him and I hope grew professionally from his advice. He was a tremendous asset to Northern Kentucky and I miss the Kentucky Post every day. He has left his mark on journalism in a positive manner with personal integrity and honesty as he perceived it to be, as so many others in the Kentucky Post have done. I am so sorry for his wonderful family and colleagues and knowing the Christian man he was his entire life. I and Miss June Geiman-Stephenson ask for prayers for His Family and know full well that Jesus has greeted him with the words,” Come Home My Good and Faithful Servant for You have done a Good Job”.
Matthew 25:21
His Master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your Master.’
MIKE FARRELL GOD BLESS YOUR SOUL AND PROTECT YOUR FAMILY AND ALL THE PEOPLE OF THIS WORLD, RED, YELLOW, BROWN, BLACK AND WHITE FOR THEY ARE ALL PRESHISH IN JESUS SIGHT. JOHN STEPHENSON FORMER SUPERINTENDENT OF EDUCATION FOR THE COMMONWEALTH OF KENTUCKY .
859 750 0000 email js7500000@gmail.com