Missouri Southern has lost a dear friend and member of the University family.Dr. Blake Wolf, professor of criminal justice for 19 years, passed away on Aug. 28. Wolf, 53, passed away due to complications during heart surgery. “He’s touched the lives of many people in the Joplin area,” said Wayne E. Thomason, department head of the criminal justice department. “He was a major asset. He will be remembered here.” Wolf was a graduate of Joplin Memorial High School in 1974, where he was active in sports, speech and debate. Wolf graduated with his bachelor of science degree from MSSU and earned his juris doctorate law degree from the University of Arkansas in 1986. He was licensed to practice law in Missouri, Kansas, Arkansas and in the United States Tax Court in Washington, D.C. Before serving as a criminal justice professor, he was head of the criminal justice department and the Law Enforcement Academy of MSSU. “He always brought a realistic, hands-on type of approach to his classes,” Thomason said.Wolf also worked as an assistant prosecutor for Jasper County, so he stayed “up-to-date” and “relevant” with the information he provided his students. “[He was] a true practitioner in the field, not just a textbook professor,” Thomason said. Students won’t forget Wolf, either. “Everyone has a teacher or professor who, at the time you were in the class, you just thought it was really hard and really demanding, then years later you look back on it and are glad that person made you work that hard and had standards that high,” said Richard Spencer, assistant professor of criminal justice. “While it was horrible at the time, now you look back on it and realize you benefited from it.” He is survived by his wife of 18 years, Paula Hardy; his children Austin, Lauren, Sam and Joe Wolf; his father Robert Wolf; and two sisters, Pamela Oldham and Leaha Johnson.