Nuggets of History

A native of Iowa, Tom Morrow graduated from Phoenix College with an AA degree; from Arizona State University with a BA in journalism, and for more than 40 years worked at a number of daily and weekly newspapers throughout the West, with some 10 years experience in public relations. He was vice president for communications at the historic Hotel del Coronado during the 1980s and owned a small advertising and PR agency in San Diego until 1988 when he returned to newspapers. Since 1991, he...
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A native of Iowa, Tom Morrow graduated from Phoenix College with an AA degree; from Arizona State University with a BA in journalism, and for more than 40 years worked at a number of daily and weekly newspapers throughout the West, with some 10 years experience in public relations. He was vice president for communications at the historic Hotel del Coronado during the 1980s and owned a small advertising and PR agency in San Diego until 1988 when he returned to newspapers. Since 1991, he was with the Blade-Citizen, then known as the North County Times. He began as a copy editor, then moved to business editor and for the some 20 years was a daily columnist.The author also has a doctorate in marketing communications and for five years taught advertising and public relations at MiraCosta College, as well as three years teaching at National University. He also was a guest lecturer for Cal State San Marcos' Elderhostel program. For 13 years he produced a 30-minute television program, "Living Legacies," which continues to be aired daily on KOCT-TV (www.koct.org). He served for 10 years on the board of directors for Oceanside Community Television, two of which were as chairman. He was president of the Oceanside Rotary Club from 2003-2004.Over the years, Tom has won numerous awards for his writing, and was named "Small Business Advocate of the Year" in 1995 by the U.S. Small Business Administration, and in 2003, he was given the first KOCT-TV "Beacon Award" for shining light on the city of Oceanside's many cultural activities. He conceived, planned and chaired Oceanside's Music Festival in 2001, 2002, and 2003.In 2009, he was honored by the Oceanside Cultural Arts Foundation for his contribution to the performing arts and by the Oceanside City Council for his overall community contribution to the City. The Mayor and Council proclaimed him "Mr. Oceanside."Tom conduct owned and managed the Oceanside Society Orchestra, which performs big-band concerts and dances with music of the '1930s, '40s, '50s, and '60s. In June 2006, as an author, Tom introduced his first novel, "Nebraska Doppelganger," a World War II thriller, followed in 2008 with its sequel, "The Secret at Beckham Manor." In 2009 he completed his third novel, "The Beacon on Kill Devil Hill." Most recently he penned "Celebrity Watch," a remembrance of interviews and entertainment projects he worked on over the past 45 years as a journalist and public relations executive. Some 35 of those years he was a part-time travel writer, chronicling his many journeys around the globe.In 2014, Tom penned "Haunted Bones," a murder mystery. And now, "Nuggets of History: For the Slightly Interested and Easily Bored -- in Small Doses."