TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) - Ray Browne, an Ohio university professor credited with coining the phrase "popular culture" and pioneering the study of things such as bumper stickers and cartoons, died Thursday. He was 87.

Browne died at his home, according to his family and officials at Bowling Green State university.

He developed the first academic department devoted to studying what he called the "people's culture" at Bowling Green in 1973.

Browne wrote and edited more than 70 books, including "The Guide to United States Popular Culture," published in 2001.

Browne taught at the University of Maryland and Purdue University before moving to Bowling Green with the idea of starting a popular culture department.

He often was quoted in the media and always had a ready thought on virtually any subject. He stopped teaching in 1990 but continued to research and write, often working on several books at once.