Last month, Wilma Wirt, a former Virginia Commonwealth University associate professor who taught, mentored and challenged many young writers over the years, died at age 94. While no official service is planned, it wouldn’t be surprising if her lasting influence brings together those whose lives and careers she shaped. There are many of us.

Wilma Wirt came to academia after a stint at the Washington Post as reporter and copy editor and made mentoring young journalists a big part of her job. Wirt, alongside Robert Button, assistant director for Academic Activities for the Virginia High School League, helped launch the VHSL-VCU Partnership in 1997. The initiative bridged the gap between professional journalism and education, offering courses in writing and design to support high school journalism programs and their advisers.

“Professor Wirt’s commitment to providing training and support for high school journalism teachers and their students in Virginia is simply unmatched,” Judy VanSlyke Turk, director of VCU’s School of Mass Communications told VCU News in 2003. “Her ability to create partnerships that involve high schools, newspapers and the School of Mass Communications working collaboratively is an incredible gift that she brings to scholastic journalism.”

The Texas native also worked to provide opportunities for her students, outside of the confines of her classroom and beyond the pages of VCU’s student publications. In 1994, Wirt launched VCU’s Capital News Service, giving student journalists a real-world platform to cover the Virginia General Assembly and state affairs. With stories reaching more than 100 news outlets, CNS sharpened young reporters’ skills while filling gaps in legislative coverage for local newspapers.

The students “Ms. Wirt” mentored are now editors, reporters, and media professionals. Capital News Service continues to train young journalists, and high school journalism programs in Virginia benefit from the foun- dation she built. Wilma Wirt may have filed her final deadline, but her work lives on in print, in classrooms and in the voices she inspired.