Jack Z. Sissors (BSJ52, MSJ52) was a member of the inaugural class of the Medill Hall of Achievement in 1997.
Sissors was professor emeritus at Medill after he retired from teaching in 1992.
Sissors, an expert on media planning and an author, entered the Army after high school. He received a doctorate in education from Northwestern in 1957.
He administered newspaper design contests for the Inland Daily Press Association for more than 20 years. In 1985, Sissors received the Buck Buchanan Media Award for outstanding contributions to media education from the J. Walter Thompson advertising agency. He was elected a fellow of the American Academy of Advertising in 1993 for his contributions to teaching media.
Sissors was the author of several books, including “Advertising Media Planning,” which was reissued several times since it was published in the 1970s. The book explains how to assess where and when to buy and place advertisements to efficiently deliver audiences. He was also the co-author of the “Art of Editing.”
He began his career at Leo Burnett in Chicago in 1952. But he was encouraged by Dr. Charles Allen, former Medill assistant dean, to return to Medill and teach journalism. The result was a 39-year career teaching advertising media and graphic design.
At Medill, he was the creator and editor of The Journal of Media Planning, a journal for professional planners, covering research and new ideas.
Sissors died in 2004.
