Public figure remembered as activist, mentor and pioneer

Morgan M. Hurley | Downtown Editor

The entire San Diego press corps is sure to be in mourning this week after news came Monday of the passing of Gloria Penner, a longtime local journalist whose trailblazing career of influence spanned more than fifty years.

Penner spent the last 43 years at KPBS, the local public media outlet subsidiary owned by San Diego State University, before succumbing to cancer on Oct. 6 after a two-year struggle. She was 81.

The organization released both a printed and a filmed statement on Penner’s passing, calling her a “broadcasting pioneer” in print.  The television spot said Penn started her career at KPBS in 1989 as a community relations director, “a position she immediately abandoned for a camera and a microphone.” KPBS had been in operation for just two years when Penner joined the station and her reporting style became legend.

“KPBS would not be the same today if it wasn’t for the contributions of Gloria Penner,” said General Manager Tom Karlo in the printed statement. “Gloria was among the first staff during the formative years of KPBS. She has been an intregal part of KPBS’ growth and change through the decades. We will miss her dearly.”

During her extensive career at the local public media powerhouse, Penner held many different titles and positions, adapting to whatever was needed, and was “the first woman to reach a management position” at the station, according to Karlo.

“Gloria was a true trailblazer at KPBS and in local news,” Karlo said. “She led the way for women in journalism and set the standard for political reporting and election coverage – in depth thoughtful analysis – that remains a priority for KPBS today.”

According to a story by Pat Finn on the KPBS website, Karlo was just a student when he first met Penner, and she mentored him throughout his upwardly mobile career, which started behind the camera and up into executive management.

Penner was identified by the station as a champion of women’s rights, and a voice for not only women in the workplace, but all minorities. Her goal as journalist was to get “the inner thoughts and the outer struggles” of those she interviewed.

Her impact was felt significantly throughout the KPBS organization and those she championed. Politics was her passion and she was not afraid to ask the tough questions, according to the filmed announcement.  Her treatment of politics set the tone for KPBS’ coverage.

“I had the fortune to work with Gloria Penner for over 15 years,” said Monica Medina, the station’s director of diversity. “In that time, I found her to be a mentor, a visionary and a staunch supporter of the KPBS mission. She was a true pioneer, not only for all women, but all striving for the American Dream. More importantly, Gloria was devoted to San Diego and its diverse communities. She believed in equal rights for all.”

Longtime LGBT and political activist Gloria Johnson shared her memories of Penner this week. “I will remember her as an early female voice, when very few where on the airwaves in San Diego,” Johnson said. “I had the privilege of meeting Ms. Penner once when she came to [then called] San Diego Democratic Club for a special event. We found her to be a supporter of LGBT rights and a friend to all of us. She will be missed.”

The League of Women Voters (LWV) honored her in 2003 with its inaugural Gloria Penner Civic Service Award. Penner was a frequent speaker and moderator for the organization.

“The league depended upon her non-partisanship and eagerness to contribute her skills and know-how for voter education to the San Diego community,” said a recent statement from the league.

The San Diego-based Women’s Museum of California, led by Executive Director Ashley Gardner and Board President Anne Hoiberg, also released a statement on her passing.

“With a heavy heart, we thank Gloria for being an inspiration to all of us and for her dedication to upholding the highest principles of journalism. Her many contributions to the people and community of San Diego will live on.”

A special tribute to Penner will be included in the Women’s Museum of California’s “Salute to the Women of Broadcast History” program, to be held [Friday] Nov. 9, at the McMillin Center in Liberty Station.  For more information about the tribute, visit womensmuseumca.org.

Penner and her distinctive voice worked as long as humanely possible, despite her illness. Her last broadcast was July 20, 2012, as the mid-day host of the Editor’s Roundtable, a program she created in 1998.

She is survived by her husband, Bill Snyder of La Jolla, and two sons, Brad Penner of San Diego and Steve Penner of Tucson, Az.  There will be a public celebration of Penner’s life at a future date.

To view Penner’s video obituary or read more about her career, visit kpbs.org.