Eric Fredin, one of the brightest and most well-liked scholars in the School of Journalism and Communication, died Tuesday night from cancer.

“Eric was a very valued and cherished faculty member. He had a wonderful sense of humor with a dry wit,” said Carroll Glynn, director and professor in the School of Journalism and Communication. “He was very involved in school initiatives, an extremely bright intellectual and academic and a wonderful human being.”

Fredin, 54, was unaware of his illness until three weeks ago when he became sick and collapsed at work the day before he was supposed to board a plane to Korea for work he was doing on John Dewey and Confucius, said his wife Barbara Fredin.

His death came as a surprise to everyone, said Reverend Mark Belletini of The First Unitarian Universalist Church of Columbus where Eric Fredin was an active member.

“Very shocking because two- and-a-half weeks ago he was a healthy man,” Belletini said.

Belletini said his death has had a big impact on the church because he was such an active member who also played the cello in the choir.

Eric Fredin was admired by both staff and students for his intellect and scholastic creativity.

“He was way ahead in his thinking in academic communication with potential uses of text and web delivered services,” said Lee Becker, director of academics for the journalism department at the University of Georgia, and former Ohio State journalism professor.

Becker and Eric Fredin were close colleagues who worked on many research projects together, including the role the media played in community pride and commitment.

Students and alumni also feel the loss of Eric Fredin.

He was described as being not just intelligent, but a lover of life and extremely dedicated to his students.

Chris Newmarker, a recent political science and journalism graduate, has fond memories of Fredin.

“He had a lot of life in him and was a very engaging person,” he said.

Newmarker recalled he felt very lucky to have been one his students.

“His mass media and society class was one of the best journalism classes I took,” Newmarker said.

He said Eric Fredin’s door was always open to his students and he was always willing to talk to his students in-depth about his class, other classes and life in general.

“He was a person who enjoyed speaking with other people,” Newmarker said.

Students’ kind words about Eric Fredin have reached his wife and faculty have extended their sympathy also.

“His students had good things to say about him, they have been e-mailing me their condolences,so have faculty,” Barbara Fredin said.

She said he was the type of professor who “really encouraged his students to just go for it” and he had a knack for recognizing a special spark in certain students.

“He enjoyed doing his research and was really looking forward to his trip to Korea because the work he was doing was new and fresh,” Barbara Fredin said. “We had many late-night discussions about his work. I’m glad he left doing something like that.”

She said Eric Fredin had also taken up an interest in Buddhism.

He read extensively about it and turned to its philosophies in his last three weeks.

“Eric wanted to live in the moment and make every moment count,” she said.

Eric Fredin was born Oct. 14, 1947, in Duluth, Minn. He graduated from East High School in Duluth in 1965 and later graduated from Oberlin College in Oberlin, Ohio, with a degree in English.

He furthered his credentials and obtained his doctorate in mass communications from the University of Michigan.

Fredin began his work at OSU Oct. 1, 1985, as an associate professor.

Before his death, he served as a member of the Research Committee and Promotion and Tenure Committees in the school of journalism and the College Information Services Committee for the university.

Fredin is survived by his wife, Barbara, and two children.

Memorial services are open to the public and will be held Aug.11, at 2 p.m., at The First Unitarian Universalist Church at 93 W. Weisheimer Road.