Larry Whiting always knew he wanted to work in communications. In fact, he cites the First Amendment, which guarantees freedom of speech and press among other things, as his favorite quote.

“It guarantees five of the most basic rights a person can have. To me the First Amendment reads like poetry,” Whiting said.

Whiting was hired by Ohio State in 1985, as the head of agriculture technology and communications. When he first started at OSU, the university was just beginning to discover new technology.

“It was when the university was just starting to set up computer workshops and making sure every faculty member had a computer,” Whiting said.

Part of his new position was making sure the agriculture program was right on track with the rest of the university. Not only did he help to get the computer network functioning, but he also had a big part in establishing satellite broadcasting at the university.

By 1987, each classroom was linked to the satellite system, which made live education possible, even from far distances.

“A professor on the main campus could now reach students on the Wooster campus without having to drive there, and vice versa. It opened up a huge number of new teaching opportunities,” Whiting said.

As the head of agriculture technology and communication, Whiting led the initiative for computerized type setting at the university.

Whiting also helped increase the communication between the main campus and its regional campuses. In the agricultural communication program, every department on the main campus has a counterpart on the Wooster campus. Whiting has helped coordinate communication between the two.

“Before I came to the university, professors who taught the same classes at the same university, just different campuses, had never even met each other,” Whiting said.

After working in the public relations and media field for a good portion of his life, Whiting stepped down from his position as the head of agriculture technology and communications in 2001. He wanted to help with the agriculturecommunication program more directly.

“After 20 years of managing people, I thought it would be fun to do something else,” Whiting said.

He is now a professor of agriculture communications, although he considers his unofficial title to be coordinator of agriculture communications.

“He seems to have an innate ability to select extremely talented individuals for his staff, to nurture them, and to give them the freedom and resources they need,” said Sherrie Whaley, an assistant professor of agriculture communications.

Whiting teaches classes at OSU two quarters a year. In winter, he teaches Communication Law and Ethics. Every spring quarter, he teaches Agriculture Communications 590, a senior seminar course.

“I believe he has helped to bring additional rigor to the program with his communications law course and his leadership of the senior seminar,” Whaley said.

Whiting earned his bachelor’s degree in agriculture from Iowa State in 1962. Like any student, he had his share of problems as an undergraduate. He originally failed both Math 101 and Organic Biology.

“I just signed up for the classes the next quarter, jumped right back into it, worked hard and passed the classes. I am very proud of the fact that I was able to persist through it,” Whiting said.

His first job out of college only lasted for a year. He then took a job at Dakota Farmer magazine, which he kept for the next 10 years. Whiting switched careers when he was offered the position of editor for Iowa State Media Relations. While at Iowa, he started work on his master’s degree in Mass Communications. Later he earned a doctorate in education administration.

“I had some trouble in my undergraduate years, but was able to work through it, so when I got my masters, I figured I might as well go for the Ph.D. too, which I did,” Whiting said.

Whiting will be eligible for retirement this July; however, he most likely will stay for at least another year.

“We recently installed a new curriculum for ag comm students and it takes three to four years to be sure it works,” Whiting said.

Whiting has big plans for his retirement.

“I have a boat out on Lake Erie. I’d like to take it from there, through Lake Huron to Lake Superior and down to Duluth, Minnesota, which would take a long time,” he said.

He is also looking at the possibility of fulfilling a lifetime dream of working at a radio station.

“My fascination with radio grew from listening to farm reports with my father as a child. One of my favorites was Herb Plombeck. He was a pioneer farm broadcaster out of Des Moines, Iowa. He was sort of my role model for many years,” Whiting said.

When Whiting does finally retire, he will be greatly missed by both his colleagues and his students.

“He should be remembered as a visionary, a scholar and a true communications expert who, during his years at Ohio State, made a major impact on how the College of Food, Agriculture and Environmental Sciences got its message out to the people of Ohio, the nation and even the world,” Whaley said.