MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (WGNS) — The Middle Tennessee State University community is mourning the loss of a foundational figure in its history. Dr. Edward M. Kimbrell, a Professor Emeritus and the primary architect of what is now the College of Media and Entertainment, passed away on February 26, 2026. He was 86 years old.
Dr. Kimbrell’s journey in journalism began in Illinois, where he earned multiple degrees from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University. He later secured a Ph.D. in International Communications from the University of Missouri, a process that took him to France to document the history of the Paris Herald Tribune.
Arriving at MTSU in 1971, Dr. Kimbrell was tasked with leading a nascent Mass Communications Department that initially consisted of a single office and one typewriter. Under his vision, the program saw meteoric growth. In 1973, he launched the Recording Industry Management program, and by 1986, he helped establish the Seigenthaler Chair of Excellence in First Amendment Studies…