The University of Guam in Sunday unveiled a new opportunity for future media professionals in honor of the late Jon Anderson.
The Jon A. Anderson Journalism Scholarship was launched Sunday afternoon, as friends and family gathered to remember the legacy of an incomparable community leader.
“Guam needs truth-tellers and truth-seekers. The Jon A. Anderson Journalism Scholarship is our collective way of supporting this belief, and honoring a man who illustrated it perfectly,” said Rex Sorensen, CEO of the Sorensen Media Group, which Jon helped found. The tuition assistance program, created by Jon’s family as a tribute to the father of talk radio on Guam, can be supported through the UOG Endowment Foundation.
Once fully implemented, the scholarship will allow aspiring newspaper reporters, television broadcasters, and talk show hosts to be mentored and educated by the very best in the field.
“Jon had such a big impact on my career, and I can’t think of a better way to pay his generosity forward by ensuring a bright future in journalism on Guam,” said Patti Arroyo, who co-hosted Newstalk K57’s flagship morning show with Jon for 10 years. “I encourage his colleagues in media, and anyone who was touched by the sound of his voice, to donate if they can.”
Jon's widow Mahine receives a Legislative Resolution from Senator Clynt Ridgell and other Guam legislators; Jon Anderson at work in a vintage radio station studio; longtime colleague and Guam radio hand Myk Powell came from California for the tribute. Photos by Bruce Lloyd
Several hundred friends and former media colleagues gathered Sunday at Jeff's Pirates Cove in Ipan, Talofofo to remember Anderson.
After working throughout the Pacific, including stints in Hawaii and American Samoa,, Anderson came to Guam in the 1970s and would become the Vice President and General Manager of Pacific Telestations Inc. also known as KUAM-TV and Radio. He then moved on to become a founding partner of Guam's first talk radio station: K-57 Radio Inc., which would become the Sorenson Media Group.
Anderson leaves behind an extensive broadcast and journalism career, covering the biggest stories, events and happenings on our island. Whether it was super typhoons, elections, triumphs or tragedies, Jon never shied away from the tough stories and always showed his dedication to fair and balanced reporting.
A more lengthy remembrance of Jon Anderson's life and times will appear in the March print edition of Pacific Island Times, out soon