Everyone on campus knows Jeanne Sperry, if not by name then by her work. The associate professor of art is the creator of KSU’s ubiquitous owl logo. Sperry designed the trademark in 1986 and the legendary owl has been around ever since.
Sperry, who has been teaching in the Department of Visual Arts for 16 years, will retire from KSU at the end of the semester. The legacy of her teaching career will be that of a consummate professional who continually encouraged students to push themselves beyond what they believed they could do.
“Her greatest achievement—and what will be our greatest loss—is the high standard she set for her students,” says Professor Valerie Dibble, a Sperry friend and colleague. “She is an overall incredible person, a great mentor who is very generous with her knowledge.”
Sperry, who hails from Ohio, has 40 years of experience in the graphic design field. She has worked in the university and corporate settings as a graphic designer and as a creative director for two different advertising agencies. She joined the KSU staff in 1986 as a publications coordinator, but then moved to Olympia, Wash., when her husband changed jobs. She returned to Atlanta and KSU three years later, this time for good. She continues to operate Cherokee Red, a graphic design studio she started in 1970.
Known by many of her students as “Scary Sperry,” the award-winning graphic designer and teacher makes no apologies for her reputation.
“At least I come by it honestly,” jokes Sperry, who says she is most proud of having the courage to challenge students. “The fields of graphic arts and advertising are highly competitive and unforgiving. So, I push students to think independently, to look beyond the obvious and to strive for more than ‘good.’”
Sperry runs her classes like a professional business, especially the senior design course, where students are expected to be problem solvers for a real client, developing a strategy plan, conducting effective research and demonstrating a high level of technical skill with their creative designs.
“Her insistence upon quality work from her students has helped to give them the skills and work ethic to obtain good jobs in industry—something graduates freely and gratefully acknowledge,” says Joe Thomas, chair of the Department
of Visual Arts.
“Professor Sperry is THE GURU in the graphic communication concentration,” says student Connor Strickland, who praises her cutting-edge ideas.
Sperry’s signature phrases let students know where they stand: “giddy up” when they’re not meeting expectations; “you get the corner office” when they rise to the challenge. Of course, everyone wants the corner office. Sperry’s reputation even inspired one student to create
a Jeanne Sperry bobble-head doll, which has become a cherished keepsake.
Her talents as a graphic designer and teacher have earned Sperry numerous awards, including a Distinguished Teaching Award, Distinguished Service Award and Distinguished Scholarship Award, as well as special recognition for mentoring students and nominations for many other honors. In 2002, Sperry was inducted into the Phi Kappa Phi honor society.
“She will be much missed by her colleagues for her helpfulness, warmth and delightfully witty sense of humor,” says Thomas. “We all wish her a relaxing and enjoyable retirement.”
