The journalist and former hostage Terry Anderson was also a poet and a friend.

The journalist and former hostage Terry Anderson was also a poet and a friend. I first became aware of Terry Anderson in 1974, before he was kidnapped by Shiite Muslims in Lebanon ten years later. He was a captive for 2,454 days, during which time he was subjected to both mental and physical abuse.

United Press International was my employer when I was working as a reporter. At one point in time, Terry was employed by our rival, The Associated Press. We were familiar with him due to his reputation as one of the most aggressive reporters in the industry.

I resigned from my position at UPI in 1979 and got a job at Oklahoma State University, where I worked as a media advisor for the student newspaper known as The “O’Collegian.” In the years that followed, I continued to work in the academic world, first as a journalism professor at Ohio University and then at Iowa State University.

The horrors of his kidnapping were brought to my attention, just as they were to the rest of the world. I was teaching media ethics at the Scripps School of Journalism at the University of Oklahoma later, after Terry was released from prison, and I watched with a sense of relief when he delivered his first TV news conference.

A pool reporter inquired, “How did you manage to stay alive?” For his response, Terry said, “The Bible and poetry.” The news media then proceeded to publish reports concerning the Bible. Initially, his poems was not reprinted by anyone.

Not only did I work as a journalist, but I was also a poet. My work was published in a variety of magazines, including Poetry, Harper’s, and Kenyon Review, among others. “Hove,” a poem that I wrote about my mentors at the United Press of India, combat reporters Leon Daniel and Kate Webb, was one of my most popular works.

In addition, Kate was taken captive while she was serving in Vietnam. When the body of a white woman, who was later determined to be a nurse, was discovered, we initially believed that it was Kate. Her funeral was held by UPI. After that, she emerged from the triple-tier jungle and wrote what I still consider to be the best lead that has ever been written: “It was like a butcher shop in Eden, beautiful but ghastly.”

Her capture and the effect it had on Leon, her bureau director, are also topics that are discussed in “Hove.” To read it, you can do so by clicking here.

When I was working as a poetry columnist for Writer’s Digest in December 1991, I attempted to conduct an interview with Terry because I was interested in his poetry. Through the Freedom Forum, I was able to obtain his address, and I wrote:

“During the time that you were held captive, I prayed for you at Christ Lutheran Church in Athens on a monthly basis for reasons that I am not yet sufficiently able to describe. We have a minute during prayers to offer them up to someone we know, and I did so for you, despite the fact that I did not know you personally and that I am sometimes just as cynical as the next journalist.

It would be greatly appreciated if you would consider sharing a couple of your poems with me and the readers of Writer’s Digest. They will be inspired by the fact that you turned to art, namely their art, during some of the most difficult times in your life.

A response was sent to me:

Regarding the request to publish some of my poetry in Writer’s Digest, I would want to express my gratitude for the letter that you sent to me welcome me home. Regarding the poems, I am not entirely certain what I will do with it. I am planning to include some of it into the book that I am now writing. It is my belief that I will keep the remaining portion for a short period of time till I figure out what I will do with it. It’s possible that we may have another conversation at that time (or whenever it may be).
I did not give up and wrote another letter, this time including a copy of my poem titled “Hove.”

At once, he responded with a letter:

I would be more than happy to engage in conversation with you regarding poetry and the things that I have written. I found your poetry “Hove” to be quite enjoyable, and I have saved it so that I might share it to some of my friends who are journalists. It is true that it encapsulates my own feelings, and I am confident that my coworkers will concur with me.
This was the beginning of our friendship. Terry spoke with me by leaving a message on my answering machine a few years later. His intention was to become a professor of journalism at Columbia University. “Michael, could you please explain what exactly a syllabus is, and what exactly does one include in it?”

Our relationship progressed from that of a poet and reporter for a wire service to that of a journalism educator. In 1998, Terry called me once more to inquire about any job opportunities that were available in the field of media. I did, in fact, lie. There is a position available at Scripps that would be ideal for you, and we are looking to fill it.

I was able to convince my dean to concur. After we offered him an offer, he decided to attend Ohio University.

When the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 took place, my mind immediately went to Terry and the memories that he was most likely experiencing at the time. I have never revealed this information before. After I had left the Scripps building, I went to the florist in the neighborhood and purchased two dozen yellow roses for himself.

After driving to his ranch in the countryside near Athens, I knocked on the door, only to find Terry standing there with a horrified expression on his face. It was possible that he was engaged in one of his many flashbacks. During our embrace, he snatched the flowers from me. We were able to reunite and are now the best of friends.

During my move from the University of Oklahoma to the Greenlee School of Journalism and Communication at Iowa State University in 2003, I was overjoyed to discover that Terry was a former student at this institution. Prior to graduating and joining the Marine Corps, Terry had contributed to the student newspaper at this institution. The Schwartz Award, which is the highest honor that can be bestowed upon a journalist by Indiana State University, was bestowed upon Terry in the year 1987. The “First Amendment Day” event that took place in Greenlee in 2004 included Terry as the headline speaker.

This past weekend, I was informed that he had passed away as a result of complications following his recent heart surgery. He was 76 years old.

I built a memorial on YouTube about our friendship, which includes three videos that I made with him 25 years ago—one about his career as a journalist, one about his time as a prisoner, and one about his poetry.