Darlene Shields, former Photography Committee chair, dies suddenly Oct. 25

Ken Dalecki

October 29, 2021

Darlene Shields, a popular and valued member of the National Press Club, died on Monday, Oct. 25, 2021, due to injuries sustained from a fall after she apparently suffered a heart attack.

During a varied career, Shields worked as a human resources specialist for the General Services Administration, a high school business teacher, a travel adviser and a freelance photographer.

At the Club, she revitalized the Photography Committee and was seen with her husband on many occasions on both the 13th and the 14th floors, socializing or getting down to the business of making the Club the sort of place journalists and communicators are drawn to for making contacts.

Jack Williams and Darlene Shields at a Fourth Estate dinner at the Club

Mark Hamrick, Club president in 2011, described Shields and her husband, fellow Club member Jack Williams, as "an NPC power couple" noted for their volunteer contributions to Club activities and as "the epitome of collegiality and professionalism." Williams, creator of USA Today's widely imitated weather page, is a former chair of the Club's Books and Brunch group that meets monthly on a Saturday to discuss the latest title members have decided to read next, over Club-prepared fare.

Donna Leinwand, Club president in 2009, bestowed the Berny Krug Award on Shields, selecting her from among the many dedicated Club members who contribute time, talent and enthusiasm to making the Club the premier journalism institution.

Leinwand said she asked Shields to "start anew to make our Photography Committee vibrant, welcoming, inclusive and exciting" and that "Darlene exceeded all my expectations over and over again. So many members attended committee

meetings that the committee outgrew its space." Shields also revamped the Club's system for photographing its events for publications, the website and the archive.

In addition to winning the Club's prestigious Krug Award, Shields, who joined the Club in 2008, received numerous annual Vivian Awards in recognition of her work for the Club.

"The amount of energy she had was amazing," said Alan Kotok, a Photography Committee (Team) member tapped by Shields in 2016 to help arrange the Club's popular annual members photo exhibit. "Her training didn't leave anything out." Kotok, who became co-chair of the committee, said Shields remained "a sounding board and adviser" who was "always helpful and wonderfully supportive. Her loss is incalculable."

Photography Committee pioneer Marshall Cohen noted Shields' "passion for photography, especially people photography." Her contributions to the annual members photo exhibit, including this year's, featured prominent figures plus character studies from her frequent travels. Her home in Falls Church, Virginia, was decorated with many of her photos of political and celebrity speakers at the Club.

Her contributions to this year's annual NPC Members Photo Exhibit are viewable online.

Karen Thuermer, a close friend and fellow Club member, noted that "Darlene was particularly dedicated to her husband, Jack," whose courtship included "taking her flying and riding in sports race cars." She said Shields studied travel and tourism at Northern Virginia Community College in the 1990s, "which fed perfectly into her love of travel. She was always planning a trip to somewhere, and especially loved Great Britain and the Caribbean." She was a "Royal watcher" and went to London in April 2011 for the wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton. Jim Noone, organizer of Club member tours of area battlefields sponsored and hosted by the Civil War Trust, said Shields and Williams attended virtually all of those annual bus outings.

Shields, a native of Ohio, was also a member of P.E.O., the Philanthropic Educational Organization, which is committed to helping women pursue higher education.

Besides her husband Jack Williams, who currently resides at the Vitality Assisted Living facility in Arlington, Virginia, Shields is survived by two sisters, Donna and Diane Shields, both of Silver Spring, Maryland. Sympathy cards may be sent to Diane Shields at 2203 Greenery Lane, Unit 204, Silver Spring, MD 20906.

Updated Nov. 1: A visitation will be held Tuesday, Nov. 2, 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. at Murphy Funeral Home, 4510 Wilson Blvd., Arlington, VA. A funeral service will be held Wednesday, Nov. 3, 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. at Murphy Funeral Home. A graveside service will be on Wednesday, Nov. 3, 2-2:30 p.m. at Columbia Gardens Cemetery, 3411 Arlington Blvd., Arlington, VA.