Retired Drake public relations professor Ronda Menke Haas died on Tuesday, Aug. 4, after a sudden and brief illness. She was 64 years old.

Ronda retired in 2013 after teaching in the Drake School of Journalism and Mass Communication for 23 years. She was a mentor, a friend, and an inspiration for generations of public relations students and for her fellow SJMC faculty members. Ronda had the warmest heart and the highest standards. Her focus on ethics especially has had a profound impact on her students and on the public relations community nationwide. Ronda led a full, interesting life.

We offer our sympathies to Ronda’s husband, Marty Haas; her son, Jason Menke; daughter-in-law Tamara; and grandchildren Andrew, Kennedy, and Carter.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, Sept. 5, at 5 p.m. at St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church in West Des Moines, with a reception to follow.

Donations in her memory can be made to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Fund or to the Drake PR Professional Preparation Fund in honor of Ronda Menke Haas. The fund was set up to help pay for public relations graduates’ PR certification exam.

—Kathleen Richardson, Dean, School of Journalism and Mass Communication