Shawn Presley

Shawn Presley, associate vice president for College relations and public affairs at Kenyon College, died suddenly at his home in New Albany, Ohio, on Tuesday, April 1, 2014.

Born Lenard Shawn Presley in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on October 9, 1964, Shawn was the son of Ferne Culpepper Presley and Emmett Alden (Al) Presley of Jonesboro. He grew up in Jonesboro, Arkansas, where his father taught in the Department of Social Work at Arkansas State University. After graduating from Jonesboro High School in 1983, he graduated with honors from Ouachita Baptist University and went on to receive a master's degree from the University of Missouri School of Journalism.

Shawn's first job after earning his M.A. was with Investigative Reporters and Editors, a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the quality of investigative reporting and headquartered  at Missouri's journalism school. He followed that with positions as coordinator of news services at Central College and as a communications specialist at the University of Iowa. Shawn moved to Kenyon College in August 1997 as news director. He became public affairs director and editor of the alumni magazine in 2003. His promotion to associate vice president came in 2012.

With Shawn as editor, the Kenyon Alumni Bulletin received the 2009 and 2011 Robert Sibley Magazine of the Year Awards from the Council on Advancement and Support of Education (CASE). Both as news director and as public affairs director, Shawn was a trusted communications director advisor to Kenyon's senior administrators, including president S. Georgia Nugent and Sean Decatur. Among his more difficult assignments as news director was covering the 2002 trial of the man convicted of the November 2000 kidnapping and murder of Emily Murray, a student at the College.

Shawn had a gift for lifting people up when they needed it and an innate ability for improving anything he set his eyes on. He performed  his work with an unequaled sense of style, a genuine creativity, and a sincere sense of humor. He had a deep passion for Kenyon and took tremendous pride in his work. That was only surpassed by the pride and love he had for his family.

Shawn is survived by his parents; his younger brother, Andrew (Deeca) Presley of Cordova, Tennessee, sisters Sabrina (Lynn) Tackett of Jonesboro and Shearon (Brian) McDaniel of Collierville, Tennessee.

Funeral services will be held Saturday, April 5, 2014, at 1:30 p.m. in Emerson Memorial Chapel with Dr. Bruce Tippit and Dr. John Huff officiating. Burial will follow in Jonesboro Memorial Park.  Pallbearers include John Huff, Jeff Stotts, Robbie Johnson, Bobby Simpkins, Bill Gramling and Jim Philpot.

Visitation will be held Saturday from 12:00 noon until service time in Emerson Chapel.