Long-Time Iowa State Journalism Professor Barbara Mack Dies

Barbara Mack, a media law professor at the Greenlee School of Journalism at Iowa State University and an attorney, has died.

Michael Bugeja, Greenlee School of Journalism chair, confirmed her death Thursday morning and said he planned to post more information on the school's website because he has become inundated with calls.

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In a statement posted on the Des Moines Register site, Bugeja said that Mack thought she was having a heart attack on Wednesday and was released from the hospital after an evaluation. When her husband, Jim Giles, went to check on her at about 5:30 a.m. Thursday he “found her gone.”

Mack was 59.

Mack began working for in 1986. She took partial retirement in 2011, but planned to resume teaching last fall, according to her Greenlee bio. The ISU Alumni foundation called her the go-to for guidance, stating she had been a “trusted mentor, teacher, and friend to ISU journalists for more than two decades.”

Blogger Rob Daniel, a former student, said he was shocked after learning of her death.

“I don't often write much in the way of personal stuff on this site, but I found out ... that one of my favorite professors from my time in college at Iowa State University, Barbara Mack, died yesterday at home. Needless to say, it was a huge shock. Not just because of the suddenness of her passing, but also because of her larger than life personality.”

Mack earned her law degree from Drake University in 1977. An ISU Alumi bio said she was best known for her media law classes and inspired many students to become lawyers.