I'm still in a little bit of shock this morning. I got a phone call this morning from the station manager of AM 1300 KSET who let me know Teresa Hanson passed away last night from ovarian cancer.
If you've ever listened to my show Geek Free Radio, you will know that Teresa was the afternoon news anchor at KSET, as well as the sidekick for Jack Pieper on The Afternoon Talk Show with Jack Pieper for 3 hours every weekday.
Teresa's facebook introduction says it all:
I want to be a Forest Ranger... no, a Veterinarian... no, Genetic Engineering... no, a Cruise Director... What? I can get paid for talking? I'll take that job!
Teresa was the "GoTo" person at the station for all of the show hosts. She knew a little bit about everything, and she most certainly had an opinion on most things. She wasn't afraid to share it either. She even did a show with Jack Pieper about health care, and she openly discussed her disease and struggle with cancer. I have to say, I listened to that entire show, and it moved me enough to walk into the station the next day, and tell Teresa how much I truly admired her. She, of course, looked at me like I was crazy, because she was just doing what she always did, saying what was on her mind.
On Geek Free Radio, Teresa was fondly called Geek Girl. I often used Teresa on the show to demonstrate how easy something was to do on the computer, or take questions from her relating to technology, and answer them on the air. I could always count on Teresa. I can't count the number of times that she would just sit in the studio during my show, preparing her news for the top of the hour. I would always introduce her on the air during those times, and get her involved in the discussion, whatever it was.
At the radio station, we even discussed adding Teresa to Geek Free Radio permanently, since she and I always had fun with it. We were going to call it "Beauty and the Geek". When my show would get bogged down and get too "technical" Teresa could always come in and bring out the extrovert in me. In short, we always had fun when Teresa was "in the house".
I would often joke with Teresa about her sense of style. She's the only person I know who would come to work in a pink dress, and then pull out her pink digital camera, her pink swiss army knife with built in compact, and then reach over and get out her pink laptop. She was the most color coordinated geek I've ever known!
So, here's to you, Geek Girl. Please know that I'm praying for
Brian and Abby. My loss is nothing compared to theirs. I'm honored to have known you. I will miss you. Especially on those days when you and I would be on the show together.
Godspeed Geek Girl,
Tim Beard