Thursday, June 17, 2004 6:48 PM
By Michael Collins
It’s hard to top that feeling of being judged by your peers as a winner of a Los Angeles Press Club plaque for outstanding journalism. One experience that rivals it is being able to judge the myriad of excellent sub- missions we look at from the clubs in other cities we judge, who judge our work in exchange.
This year, we judged clubs from Arizona, Florida, Nebraska, Ohio and Texas. Helping me pick the winners this year were Los Angeles journalists Sandy Cohen, Rob Eshman, Meg MacDonald, Jordi Ortega, Jill Stewart, Ron Fleury and Norma Zager.
One of the most rewarding aspects of my chairmanship was striking up a raucous long-distance relationship with Jan Dilbeck, the Houston Press Club
Manager and co-coordinator for the 2004 Lone Star Awards. On April 23, we began writing each other about judging business and just about anything else that popped into our minds in the middle of the night. We became fast friends and shared some of our deepest intimacies. On April 28, Jan passed away unexpectedly and our flourishing camaraderie was nipped in the bud. But those far too few five days changed me and gave me a fresh perspective on appreciating your fellow journalists.
Jan slipped away peacefully in her sleep at the relatively young age of 66. She had joined the Houston Press Club nearly seven years ago after a lengthy stint as the PR person for Cabot Oil & Gas Corporation. With her smoky voice and tart tongue, it was the perfect fit for a woman who blazed her own trail in a very conservative state. Naturally, Jan and I yakked about basketball as the Houston Rockets were in the process of being trounced by the Los Angeles Lakers in the playoffs. “But my heroes are the Houston
Comets,” she wrote. “Back in 1973, I served a couple of terms as president of the Houston chapter of NOW, and one of the things we worked hardest on was filing suits to force schools to come into compliance with Title IX. That effort, and others like it, are directly responsible for the rise of gals like Mary Lou Retton, Mia Hamm, etc. I truly did not believe I would live to see a professional women’s basketball league in my lifetime, so when it actually happened, I wept.”
We regaled each other with b-ball yarns, our takes on the terrorism and tales of woe regarding the President whom she referred to as “Shrub.” And while Jan praised California’s natural treasures, she had a Texan’s eye towards ribbing us. “We’re beginning work on our annual Gridiron Show, which will be held October 2. One of the things we plan to make fun of is the election of ‘Der Gropenfuehrer,’
as Gary Trudeau dubbed Schwartzenegger, so don’t take it personally. And where the hell was Maria when all the gropees were coming out of the woodwork? Standing by her man.”
Jan’s generosity of spirit and her sudden and shocking departure was a wakeup call to me. Though I had lost my father to cancer half a year ago and watched my relationship with my girlfriend/writing partner dissolve into acrimony, Jan’s passing reminded me, again, to let the folks around you know that you appreciate and value them. So I do here now to you.
“Needless to say, there are a lot of people here who knew her in even the small way you did, but (also) got to see just how cool she could be,” club President Debra Fraser wrote me. “I hope that when I’m 66 and thinking everything is going wrong with me…. someone will listen…who knows, maybe it will be you!!!”
Count on it Debra.
