Terry Alan Zahn (April 27, 1946 – January 25, 2000) was a

television Television (TV) is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. Additionally, the term can refer to a physical television set rather than the medium of transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...

reporter A journalist is a person who gathers information in the form of text, audio or pictures, processes it into a newsworthy form and disseminates it to the public. This is called journalism. Roles Journalists can work in broadcast, print, advertis ...

and

anchorman A news presenter – also known as a newsreader, newscaster (short for "news broadcaster"), anchorman or anchorwoman, news anchor or simply an anchor – is a person who presents news during a news program on TV, radio or the Internet. ...

Hampton Roads Hampton Roads is a body of water in the United States that serves as a wide channel for the James River, James, Nansemond River, Nansemond, and Elizabeth River (Virginia), Elizabeth rivers between Old Point Comfort and Sewell's Point near whe ...

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

, from 1981 until his death in 2000 from

multiple myeloma Multiple myeloma (MM), also known as plasma cell myeloma and simply myeloma, is a cancer of plasma cells, a type of white blood cell that normally produces antibody, antibodies. Often, no symptoms are noticed initially. As it progresses, bone ...

(a type of

blood cancer Tumors of the hematopoietic and lymphoid tissues (American English) or tumours of the haematopoietic and lymphoid tissues (British English) are tumors that affect the blood, bone marrow, lymph, and lymphatic system. Because these tissues are al ...

Biography

Zahn was Born in

Milwaukee Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

, on April 27, 1946. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee with a Bachelor of Arts in 1968. In 1974, he received his master's degree from the University of Hawaii in Honolulu. In 1969, Zahn served in the U.S. Navy. After serving in the military, he briefly had a stint with

KTIV KTIV (channel 4) is a television station in Sioux City, Iowa, United States, affiliated with NBC and The CW Plus. Owned by Gray Media, the station has studios on Signal Hill Drive in Sioux City, and its transmitter is located near Hinton, Iowa ...

. In 1981, after briefly serving as an anchor and news director for

WQAD-TV WQAD-TV (channel 8) is a television station licensed to Moline, Illinois, United States, serving the Quad Cities area as an affiliate of ABC. Owned by Tegna Inc., the station maintains studios on Park 16th Street in Moline, and its transmitter i ...

Moline, Illinois Moline ( ) is a city in Rock Island County, Illinois, United States. With a population of 42,985 in the 2020 census, it is the largest city in Rock Island County and the List of municipalities in Illinois, ninth-most populous in Illinois outside ...

, Zahn moved to

WAVY-TV WAVY-TV (channel 10) is a television station licensed to Portsmouth, Virginia, United States, serving the Hampton Roads area as an affiliate of NBC. It is owned by Nexstar Media Group alongside Virginia Beach–licensed dual Fox affiliate/ CW o ...

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. Most of Portsmouth is located on Portsea Island, off the south coast of England in the Solent, making Portsmouth the only city in En ...

, where he would remain until 1994, when he moved to

WVEC-TV WVEC (channel 13) is a television station licensed to Hampton, Virginia, United States, serving the Hampton Roads area as an affiliate of ABC. The station is owned by Tegna Inc., and maintains studios on Woodis Avenue in Norfolk; its transmitte ...

. During his tenure under WVEC, Zahn received awards from the

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...

United Press International United Press International (UPI) is an American international news agency whose newswires, photo, news film, and audio services provided news material to thousands of newspapers, magazines, radio and television stations for most of the 20th ce ...

, and the Virginia Association of Broadcasters.

Cancer

Zahn was first diagnosed with cancer in the late 1990s. Prior to his diagnosis, he had been active in planning the Hampton Roads area

Relay For Life Relay For Life is a community-based walkathon and the largest fundraising event of the American Cancer Society (ACS). Teams of people, varying in size, alternate between walking laps and interacting with other aspects of the fundraiser. Each year ...

and a supporter of the

American Cancer Society The American Cancer Society (ACS) is a nationwide non-profit organization dedicated to eliminating cancer. The ACS publishes the journals ''Cancer'', '' CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians'' and '' Cancer Cytopathology''. History The society w ...

.Zahn produced a series of television news stories and a documentary program about his battle with cancer. The program, which aired on WVEC-TV, was entitled "My Race Against Cancer." The program chronicled his medical progress and personal ordeal from the time of his diagnosis until his cancer went into remission. At WVEC, Zahn produced two nationally distributed videos for the American Cancer Society encouraging communities to hold Relay For Life events. Zahn toured the United States to promote Relay For Life and continued his involvement with Relay until his death. He was inducted into the American Cancer Society Relay For Life Hall of Fame in 1999. At the time of his death, Zahn lived in Chesapeake, Virginia, where he is buried.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zahn, Terry 1946 births 2000 deaths United States Navy officers American television personalities Old Dominion University faculty Mass media people from Milwaukee People from Chesapeake, Virginia University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee alumni Deaths from multiple myeloma in the United States Deaths from cancer in Virginia Military personnel from Milwaukee