"Gone from us too soon, too young" ...
ELIZABETH DEMPSEY SOLOMON, 1962-2006
Tenacious and tireless, her co-workers called her. Adept multitasker. Excellent writer. Great mom. The attributes tumbled forth from friends and colleagues following the death of Beth Solomon on Nov. 3, due to a brain tumor. She had been diagnosed around Labor Day. She was 44.
"Beth continued working until the end -- writing, editing, organizing. We had to laugh with her, while marveling at her tenacity," colleague Susan Schoolfield said. Mrs. Solomon produced "Children's Promise," the Cook Children's Foundation quarterly magazine targeted at donors. "She passionately described the health and treatment of children who were patients at Cook Children's, helping build the funds that would support future patients," Schoolfield said.
This was one of several ongoing projects for which she was responsible.
"Beth built relationships with members of the media for which Cook Children's still benefits and will for years to come," Schoolfield said. "Whether it was the media, physicians and staff throughout the medical center, members of PRSA or any of a number of other groups, she was a friend and a professional. She is greatly missed."
Mrs. Solomon worked for nine years in PR at Cook Children's Medical Center in Fort Worth and received numerous local and national awards for her work. She was the primary responder to the news media in 1999 when Carolyn Bobo, APR, joined the hospital as her supervisor.
"Within a few months, Beth was juggling pager and cellphone in response to the Wedgwood church shootings. She stayed at work until 3 a.m., taking calls from more than 100 journalists, including national and international media, all in search of information about our pediatric victim," Bobo said.
"I had to insist that Beth take a sleep break while I responded. She was back in a few hours, coordinating a 'Good Morning America' interview broadcast live from the hospital. That's the kind of dedication and expertise Beth brought to her job -- and it wasn't a good idea to get in her way!"
Mrs. Solomon exhibited the same enthusiasm with volunteer activities -- she was a PRSA member and had served as chapter accreditation chair -- and with her family, especially her and husband Randy's three sons, whose pictures, usually in hockey uniforms, decorated her office. "She was a good person and a good friend," Bobo said. "Gone from us too soon, too young."
Memorials may be made to the college fund for sons Kevin, Nick and Mark, payable to College Savings Plan of Nebraska, in care of Schoolfield at P.O. Box 11944, Fort Worth 76110. Gifts may also be made to the Cook Children's Medical Center Pastoral Care or Child Life departments.
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MEETINGS
No program development meeting this month, but members have discussed with some vigor attending the SPJ-hosted Christmas party / John Peter Smith Hospital book benefit and gift drawing Wednesday evening, Dec. 6, at Coors Distributing Co. on 'way north I-35. RSVP by Monday evening, Dec. 4, to mkpirtle@yahoo.com. Details on p. 3.
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Program development meetings will resume in January.
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STRAIGHT STUFF
Two-time Peabody Award winner Marvin Kalb will discuss "The Changing Influence and Credibility of the Media" at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Dec. 4, at Temple Emanu-El in Dallas, sponsored by the 5th Annual Nasher Forum. Reservations are required; call Dana Moffat at (214) 706-0000 ext. 136. A 4:45 p.m. media briefing will be held in the lobby of the Park Cities Hilton, 5954 Luther Lane. NBC News on Nov. 27 labeled the Iraq war a "civil war" after U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan used the phrase in addressing the need to stop the escalation of violence in the region. Kalb's presentation will address similar issues that illustrate how the media can impact public opinion and government response. In a 30-year journalism career, Kalb, the founding director of Harvard University's Joan Shorenstein Center on Press, Politics, and Public Policy at the Kennedy School of Government and now a senior fellow in the center's D.C. office, garnered national recognition as chief diplomatic correspondent, Moscow bureau chief and host of "Meet the Press" for CBS and NBC News. The Nasher Forum, founded by philanthropist and civic leader Raymond Nasher and the Nasher Foundation, works to promote a moral community for the 21st century by presenting lectures that stimulate thought, discussion and action on compelling social and ethical issues. More here. ...
Former CNN foreign correspondent Ralph Begleiter will discuss "Global Media and the Power of Images" at a Fort Worth Club luncheon Thursday, Dec. 7, sponsored by the World Affairs Council. As CNN's international affairs correspondent from 1981 to 1999, Begleiter flew more than two million miles to 91 countries on six continents. He covered every major story during that time and interviewed such high-profile individuals as Jordan's King Hussein, Nelson Mandela, Chinese dissident Wei Jingsheng and various prime ministers and heads of state. He gained notoriety in August 1990 for being the first Western correspondent to interview a Soviet foreign minister, Eduard Shevardnadze. More at dfwworld.org. SPJ is partnering with the World Affairs Council on the speech, and SPJ members get in for the $30 WAC member price. ...
The Urban League of Greater Dallas seeks volunteer assistance in PR and media planning for three 40th anniversary events -- the Heritage Day Celebration, Saturday, Feb. 24; Festival in the Park, in May; and the Annual Gala, Saturday, Aug. 11. The volunteer's responsibilities will include creating press releases, media advisories and biographies. Call Sherelyn Roberts at 214-915-4607 or 214-226-8913. ...
The S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University has established the Mirror Awards to honor those who hold a mirror to their industry for the public's benefit. The awards are open to anyone who conducts reporting, commentary or criticism of the media industries -- TV, newspaper, magazine, radio, advertising, PR, the internet -- in a format intended for a mass audience. Entry deadline will be in mid-January. E- Jean Brooks at jabroo01@syr.edu. ... Submissions are being accepted for the National Low Income Housing Coalition's Cushing Niles Dolbeare Media Awards, which recognize print journalists who illuminate the affordable housing crisis in America. Three first-prize winners will receive $2,500. Entries must have been published in 2006. Deadline is Jan. 5. Details at nlihc.org. ...
The American Academy of Neurology seeks entries for its 2007 AAN Journalism Fellowship Award recognizing excellence in medical and health reporting. Fellows will receive a trip to the academy's 2007 annual meeting. E- ababb@aan.com. ... The Religion Newswriters Association invites applicants to its Lilly Scholarships in Religion program, which provides full-time journalists with up to $5,000 for college tuition, books, registration fees, parking and other costs. Jan. 1 is the next quarterly applications deadline. The scholarships can be used at any accredited college, university, seminary or similar institution, and recipients can take any courses as long as they are in religion. More at rna.org, or call Amy Schiska at 614-891-9001 ext. 3.
