Category: In Memoriam

Dr. James Keller, Student Health Services (SHS) medical director, passed away June 1. Keller was the medical director for SHS for more than 40 years. Services for Keller will include a rosary at 7 p.m. Wednesday, June 8, and a funeral mass at 10 a.m., Thursday, June 9. Both events will be at Church of the Magdalen Catholic Church.

Keller worked with numerous SHS staff and directors to implement new health services that would benefit students and guided treatment protocols and consultation for providers and nurses. Keller also assisted in the design of the Wichita Student Wellness Center that opened in 2020. He was a steadfast medical consultant during the COVID-19 pandemic and always made sure SHS had the most recent information to care for students. 

Keller’s humor, patience and kindness with the SHS staff and WSU students will be greatly missed and his service to the university will forever be appreciated. He is survived by his wife Donna, children and grandchildren. 

Dan Close, associate professor of communication, passed away Saturday, May 28. He was 63 years old.

Close was a first-generation college student and a long-time Shocker who earned two degrees from WSU: a bachelor’s in journalism in 1981 and an master’s in communication in 1993. As a student, Close was the editor of The Sunflower and the department’s outstanding senior. Close started as an assistant professor in 1995 after a successful career as a reporter for The Wichita Eagle.

Close taught a wide range of courses, though mostly in journalism. He served as the faculty advisor to The Sunflower for 16 years. Close’s recent passion was his first-year seminar, “Exploring WSU in your photos and words.” The course was a blend of journalism and photojournalism, but with a focus on encouraging students to explore and report on the campus and culture at Wichita State.