Over the past 21 years, Terry Williams has been “at the center” of the San Diego Press Club. She’s leaving as the club’s executive director in October, following the Press Club’s Journalism in Excellence awards event on Oct. 3.
“It’s been an absolutely, life-enriching experience for me, much more than just a job,” Williams told Times of San Diego. “It’s been so gratifying to have been at the center of so many members’ lives and I will miss it.
“I’ve seen our members share connections, sources and scoops with each other. I’ve seen new technologies and updates on old tools. I’ve seen our members roll with the punches after job losses and then develop successful freelance practices and small businesses as they rely on the support from other members. It’s been overwhelming and heart-warming to see how our members have used the club as a connection to the community and to each other.”
At the beginning of the year, Williams announced her retirement. Since May, Williams has been training her replacement, Kathryn Gray. “It’s been an extraordinary experience, but, at age 75, I feel it’s the right time for me to step aside,” said Williams.
A native of Astoria, OR, Williams was age 2 when her dad, a Navy lieutenant, moved the family to San Diego. She is the oldest of four siblings that includes two sisters and a brother. “We recently scattered my mom’s ashes in Oregon. She passed away in June of this year at age 97,” Williams said. “Our dad has been gone for 20 years, but my parents did a fabulous job with the four of us.”
After college, Williams worked at San Diego Magazine for three years before spending 25 years with her ex-husband and photographer Bob Gardner, who passed away in 2018. “I’ve traveled the world, writing and producing documentaries and marketing videos for local, regional and international companies and many major museums,” said Williams. “With all the research I’ve done over the years, I’m guessing I have the equivalent of a dozen or so master’s degrees.”
When she joined the Press Club in 2002, the club’s finances were in dire conditions. “There was not enough money in the bank account to pay me,” Williams recalled. “We built-up the reserves to the point of having two years of income in the bank. The only way the club survived during the pandemic years of 2020 and 2021 was because of those reserves and I’m very proud of that.”
Williams and husband Tom Threinen plan to spend more time visiting family and Terry’s son, three grandchildren (ages 23, 25 and 27) and three young great-grandchildren. “My son is a retired Army intelligence officer, so for 30 years we have never known what he did at work,” Terry quipped.
Also, they are planning to remodel a newly purchased home in Portugal’s Azores region. Remodeling is one of Williams’ favorite hobbies.
“In addition to restoring and selling five or six houses, I’ve redone every square inch of our home in City Heights at least three times,” she said. “I’ve learned the ins-and-outs of drywall, electricity and plumbing.
“I’d love to do the same thing with another house in San Diego, but it’s impossible to buy something in today’s market. So, I’ll have fun in Portugal for three months at a time while Tom surfs and paints. As foreigners, we can spend no more than three months per visit in the country.”
With 400 members, the San Diego Press Club is one of the nation’s largest professional groups in the news communication industry. Its annual journalism competition typically draws about 1,100 entries, which is one of the largest in the country by far.
“Of course, it’s been my great honor and pleasure to serve the members of the San Diego Press Club,” said Williams. “I’m grateful for the time we’ve had together and the many, many friendships that I’ll have for the rest of my life.”
2-Year Extension for Sports Radio Hosts Jon & Jim
iHeart Media’s KGB-AM, San Diego Sports 760, has given two-year contract extensions through 2025 to Jon Schaeffer and Jim Russell, weekday afternoon talk-show hosts of the “Jon & Jim Show.” The duo posted the extension announcement on social media.
“I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to continue to grow ‘Jon & Jim’ into one of the most successful sports talk shows in Southern California,” Schaeffer told Times of San Diego. “We’ve been blessed to be named best sports talk radio in San Diego for each of the last two years, and we hope to connect with San Diegans on San Diego Sports 760 for many years to come.”
“With the help of our amazing listeners, Jon and I have built something special here in a short period of time talking Padres and SDSU Aztecs every day,” Russell said in an email to Times of San Diego. “I couldn’t be happier to continue that for the next two years here in San Diego on `Jon & Jim.’”
Schaeffer arrived in San Diego in the summer of 2017 to host pre-game, half-time and post-game shows for San Diego State University Aztecs basketball and football games.
Russell worked in the San Diego market for several years as a producer of the “Darren Smith Show” and the Padres Radio Network before becoming an on-air host.
‘Jon & Jim’ debuted in January 2022 on KLSD-AM XTRA 1360. In March 2020, iHeart Media purchased the 760-AM frequency from Local Media San Diego for about $1.2 million, according to industry trade publications. Then, in September 2022, iHeart flipped the sports talk-show programming from 1360-AM to 760-AM.
SDCCU Sponsors Live Well San Diego 5K
San Diego County Credit Union has been named the presenting sponsor of the Live Well San Diego 5K and one-mile fun run to be held on Sunday morning, Sept. 17, at the County Administration Building, Waterfront Park, 1600 Pacific Coast Highway in Downtown San Diego.
The 5K race will begin at 7:30 a.m., and the one-mile fun run at 9 a.m. The event is free and open to the public. Registration is requested at www.livewellsd5k.com.
Following the races, participants can enjoy a Discovery Expo featuring San Diego’s leaders in health and wellness, along with a fun zone with games, music, fitness classes, dancing and food trucks.
The 2023 Live Well event is in partnership with 2-1-1 San Diego, a nonprofit that connects people to essential social, health and disaster resources. The 2022 event had more than 5,500 registered attendees, organizers said.
The County Board of Supervisors launched the Live Well San Diego initiative in 2010 with the goal of achieving healthy, safe and thriving communities across the region. SDCCU said it was the first financial institution to be designed a Live Well San Diego partner.
SDCCU is San Diego’s largest, locally-owned financial institution with $12 billion in assets, 433,000 customers and 40 branch locations.
Voice & Viewpoint Presents ‘Biscuits, Grits & Politics’
John Warren, publisher of San Diego Voice & Viewpoint, a locally Black-owned weekly newspaper, will host “Biscuits, Grits & Politics,” a program from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m., Tuesday, Sept. 19, at the Joe and Vi Jacobs Center for Neighborhood Innovation, 404 Euclid Ave., San Diego. The public is invited to attend.
The program will feature Warren discussing current political issues, including public policy. For more event information, call the newspaper at (619) 266-2233. San Diego Voice & Viewpoint, with a weekly print readership of more than 25,000, has been serving San Diego’s African-American community for 63 years.
Rick Griffin is a San Diego-based public relations and marketing consultant. His MarketInk column appears weekly on Mondays in Times of San Diego.