On the second floor of Old Main, it was not uncommon to see someone stop by Kym Fox’s office to chat.
There was rarely a time Fox, professor of practice and graduate instructional assistant coordinator in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication (SJMC), was too busy to give her visitors — current and former students and colleagues — a smile or some encouragement.
Fox died of cancer on July 19. For over 20 years, she led and coordinated Texas State University’s journalism program. Her dedication to journalism and storytelling inspired many of the people she mentored and worked with over the course of several decades.
Fox’s work in the newsroom spanned many years, from designer and copy editor at the Mesa Tribune to reporter and day metro editor at the San Antonio Express-News. She focused on child abuse and juvenile justice.
Diana Fuentes, Texas State lecturer, worked with Fox as a night editor at the Express-News and said one of the main reasons they got along was due to their commitment to representing unheard voices. People trusted Fox to get their information and tell their story, and she did not betray their trust.
“You hear people always talking about fair and balanced. That was Kym,” Fuentes said. “She wanted to make sure everybody’s viewpoints were heard. A lot of times, people were like, ‘Well, they’re just kids.’ Well, kids had a voice too. She wanted to make sure they were heard.”
Fuentes said Fox became an editor because she felt she could reach more people and receive more leverage to work with reporters. Her skills and mentoring earned her the “newsroom mom” persona in San Antonio, but she was also a caring person who connected with the whole newsroom staff rather than only those she supervised.
“She had [the whole staff’s] back,” Terry Bertling, then-assistant managing editor of the Express-News from 1994-2017, said. “We knew we could trust her, we knew she cared about us and we also knew she would bring the very best work out of everyone.”
Fox’s newsroom experience would transfer to her teaching at Texas State in 2002. As an editor, she worked with a team of 10-12 reporters to get stories into the paper, but as a teacher, she would help hundreds of students break into the business and conquer their fears.
“They might not be sure about their skills, and she felt she could identify people who were talented and needed a little nudging, and so she wanted to be in a position to be able to help them and to help our industry to get good storytellers out there,” Fuentes said.
Fox was also there to advise those who needed it. One day, Bertling sat with Fox over lunch and asked her about the transition from working in a daily newsroom to teaching college-level journalism. She knew Fox received her master’s degree in 2000 at the University of the Incarnate Word and wanted to pick her brain about the idea. Fox loved teaching and knew Bertling would love it too, and Fox’s advice ultimately convinced her.
Even after Fox hired Bertling as an adjunct lecturer at Texas State in 2007, Bertling would go to her for advice, which she said helped make the transition to teaching easier.
“She would always coach me and say, ‘You’re a good professor because you care so much,’ because I wanted everything to be right and I cared about students being engaged and getting the very best out of class and having a great experience at Texas State,” Bertling said.
Fox believed in giving back to the profession by helping students in a group. She was a longtime member of the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) and a stage manager in the Gridiron, an annual satirical show of skits and dances resembling Saturday Night Live that raises scholarship funds for SPJ’s San Antonio chapter, since it began in 1985.
Fox also advised Texas State’s SPJ chapter for many years before entrusting Jessica James, associate professor of instruction, to be its advisor in 2018. They met in 2012 while James reported in Cleveland. Fox later supervised and mentored James. She grew to trust Fox as a coach, mom and friend who would not mislead her.
Two years ago, James went through difficult times and could only talk to Fox about it due to how relatable and nurturing she was. On a separate occasion, Fox would tell her about becoming a new version of herself, having fun going out and dating again.
“I saw [Fox] more as an individual and less like a person who you work with, because when you get to work professionally, you’re a definition of yourself that exists at the university and SJMC,” James said.
Fox and her colleagues gathered in late March at University Camp to celebrate those who would retire. According to Fuentes, Fox planned to retire from full-time teaching but would continue to supervise the graduate assistants and teach part time. The party shared the fondest memories of their friend and mentor, their stories echoing through the campsite.
“She was getting married, she was retiring, it was all these things going on,” James said. “We had food and drinks and cake, and it was an awesome time to give her what she deserved, and it’s very fortunate we were able to honor her that way.”
Kym Fox donated her body to the Forensic Anthropology Center at Texas State. The School of Journalism and Mass Communication established the Kym Fox Endowed Scholarship, which will provide funding to graduate students pursuing an SJMC degree. To leave donations in her honor, visit https://sjmc.txst.edu/kym-fox-scholarship.html.
