Terry Anderson, Intrepid Journalist and Local Actualizer, Dies at 76
Famous as a Middle East AP reporter, Terry Anderson, of Greenwood Lake, also accomplished much with local groups--Democrats, Rumshock Veterans Foundation, the NAACP and the Tri-State Lookout.
By the time Terry Anderson, at 73, bought a modest house in Greenwood Lake in July of 2020, he had been a Marine Corps combat journalist in Vietnam for two tours of duty. He had been chief Middle East correspondent for the Associated Press, in which position he was kidnapped and became a hostage in Lebanon for almost seven years, the last to be released of 18 hostages. He wrote “Den of Lions,” a best-selling book about the experience, and he was awarded $26 million in frozen Iranian assets as a result of his captivity, that he spent on a variety of passions. They included founding the Vietnam Children’s Fund, which built 50 schools in Vietnam, and contributing $100,000 to the Father Lawrence Jenco Foundation for community service projects in Appalachia. He bought a blues bar and a Virginia stable. He ran as a Democrat for Ohio state senator.
The millions had come and gone by the time he came to Warwick, which he chose as a bucolic locale near his New Jersey family, according to his Warwick friend Manolin Tirado.
“Terry didn’t care much about money,” said Tirado. “He lived on his Associated Press pension. He had very little in his closet. He wasn’t much for ties. He was very informal. He liked to wear a Guayabera,” a Caribbean dress shirt with pockets, embroidery and pleating.
On Anderson’s walls at home, he had photos of himself with Nelson Mandela, Bill Clinton and George H.W. Bush, Tirado said. But Anderson’s interest in the local community soon surfaced. Within a year of moving to Warwick, in May of 2021, Anderson joined the Warwick Democratic Committee, which is where he and Tirado met.
“He was a gentle spirit, careful about sharing his experience in captivity,” Tirado said. “He was thoughtful.”
Once asked about an easily vexed public official, Anderson responded, “He’s sensitive.”
Christine Stage recalled Anderson’s arrival at Warwick Democratic Committee meetings. He had contacted the Orange County Democratic chair, who contacted her.
“He brought a box of his books for us, and he came to every meeting,” Stage said, noting his previous local political experience elsewhere and his effectiveness in Warwick. “He had been county chair in Virginia and ran for office in Ohio. He and Manny brought in ten new members in a year, doubling our membership. That was unheard of.”
She recalled a speech about civic participation that Anderson gave at an annual Democrat event. “He talked about the need to honor outsiders. He gave a civics lesson about the need to work at democracy.”
“He didn’t mention Beirut,” she added. “It was about the importance of being a good citizen. He always asked at every meeting what he could do.”
She also noted Anderson’s love of Lebanese food. “I wouldn’t have wanted it,” she said. “But he said, ‘I love Lebanese people. There are just a few bad ones.’”
Stage also recalled Anderson’s “advice on the straight and narrow when someone was treated unfairly.”
“It was unsolicited, but he was right,” she said.
She recounted an example.
“The Democrats’ executive committee was four women who were close and cliquish, and Terry said, ‘You’re leaving out important people who work hard and should be given more of a voice.’”
Anderson also advised Stage about her own leadership role.
“He said, ‘Step aside and let someone else take over. Avoid complacency.’ He looked at the room and saw all the good minds with potential. He brought it to my attention, and I took it to heart. He said it like it was.”
However, Anderson could take criticism as well as give it, apparently. In his memoir about being a hostage, he wrote about being regularly in conflict with another hostage. He assumed that he was right and the other man was wrong, so he expressed surprise when the other hostages told him he was wrong to behave as he had. Anderson apologized to the other man. The other man failed to accept the apology, but Anderson then left him alone.
Anderson came to events where Democrats had a table, Stage said. “At a family event, he’d man the table and give out information about the Democratic Party. He had a hard time getting around, but that didn’t stand in his way.”
Working with Tirado, Anderson drove, and Tirado knocked on doors.
Tirado recalled a discussion he and Anderson had one day in Anderson’s living room about the way conflicts around immigration led to upsurges in racism. They talked about launching a Warwick chapter of the NAACP. But as they explored the possibility, they realized that reviving the defunct Middletown NAACP chapter was more viable.
“It could have been hard for two middle-aged liberal Democrats living in Greenwood Lake,” Tirado laughed. “But we emailed our entire social media network in a nonpartisan way, and we did ad hoc grass roots calling. People joined through the national NAACP website. Now we have our own. People trusted us. It took a year.”
After a year, they were able to reactivate the Middletown chapter.
“Terry also brought me into the Rumshock Foundation. He was on the board,” said Tirado.
William Whetsel founded the Rumshock Foundation to provide housing and work training for homeless veterans. Tirado described Anderson’s role as “government liaison,” working with Congressman Pat Ryan to get the million dollars in funding that Ryan recently brought to the project, enabling the building of ten tiny houses in Port Jervis to begin.
Asked about Anderson’s role in attaining funding, Whetsel said, “Terry was involved with mostly everything we did since he joined us,” which was about two years ago.
“We were planning to go to veteran organizations in the area to find more funding,” Tirado said. “In our last conversation, on Friday, we talked about going to the Rumshock Gala in Walden. We talked about the need for more volunteers and funding. He was short of breath. Terry died late Saturday or early Sunday,” April 21.
They had already begun visiting veteran groups. Anderson was also scheduled to teach an introductory seminar on journalism at Albert Wisner Library in Warwick, among other plans he had made. Anderson was on the editorial advisory board of this publication, the Tri-State Lookout. He gave incisive guidance as the Lookout relaunched. Now Tirado talks about initiating a “Terry Anderson Memorial Freedom of the Press Essay Contest.” The Associated Press will have a memorial event for Anderson in Manhattan, Tirado said.
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What a beautiful tribute to Mr Anderson. He will surely be missed.