Stephen Pinn: 1951-2014
Ian Mason writes:
MJA members were sad to learn that long-time member Stephen Pinn had died suddenly, following a massive stroke at only 62, on January 11 this year. He and Mary, his wife of nearly 28 years, had just celebrated the news that she had overcome a year-long battle against neck cancer, and were about to embark on a new life in Cornwall.
Steve was born in Cambridge, but spent his early years in Hilversum, Netherlands, moving back to the UK in the late 1950s. He joined the Surrey Daily Advertiser as a trainee journalist in 1969, moved to the Evening Gazette, Colchester, as a senior reporter, then returned to the Surrey Advertiser as chief reporter, becoming news editor at the Surrey Comet in 1977. He entered medical journalism in 1982, first as news editor, then deputy editor of Doctor and Hospital Doctor, and then as editor of Hospital Doctor, a position he held until 1991, when he left to become a highly successful freelance, running he own medical writing agency.
In his private life Stephen was a fiercely competitive table-tennis player and won many trophies over 40 years in the Guildford Table Tennis League. He was also a minor shareholder and supporter of AFC Bournemouth Football Club. I found him a larger-than-life presence, whose welcoming smile lit up whatever press room I met him in. He is survived by Mary and their two children, Sophie and Henry. His death came as a great shock to Mary, also a medical journalist, and she says would like to keep in touch with colleagues. MJA members who remember Stephe can contact her via the email .
Mary Pinn writes:
Stephen and I had a great deal to do with the Teenage Cancer Trust, after Stephen’s nephew, Oliver, died of a brain tumour aged 18 in 2004. We helped, and I will continue to help, raise funds for the charity. If any MJA member would like to make a donation in memory of Steve, go to: www.teenagecancertrust.org for more info.
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