Over a wide-ranging career, Haycock, a lifelong pianist and writer, makes music with words – and a major impact on the people, communities and nonprofits she serves

RICHMOND, Va. — Terry Haycock, of Midlothian, a lifelong pianist who channels her musical talents into communications, has received the Virginia Professional Communicators’ 2025 Communicator of Achievement Award. Her work benefits numerous individuals, organizations and nonprofits across Illinois and Virginia. She was honored at the organization’s spring conference on May 3 in Yorktown.

The COA Award is the highest honor bestowed by Virginia Professional Communicators to those members who have distinguished themselves within and beyond their profession. It is given for exceptional achievement in the communications field and service to the state affiliate; the National Federation of Press Women, the national organization which with VPC is affiliated; and the community.

Her award package has been submitted to the NFPW contest for national COA competition. The national winner will be named in September in Golden, Colorado.

Haycock began her wide-ranging career in Illinois more than 50 years ago. She was a music major in college with a minor in English writing, but left early to marry.

“There’s music in art and language – they’re connected through rhythm, pitch, tone and timbre,” Haycock said. “When I was serving as a musician, a talented artist once told me that she couldn’t sing. I said, ‘What do you mean you can’t sing? You sing with your lithography.’ It’s a way of expression. Although I was trained as a classical musician, I’m more of a natural writer.”

While living in several Chicago suburbs, she served as newsletter editor of the Illinois Woman’s Press Association. After retiring to Virginia in 2018, she became a valued member of Virginia Professional Communicators, where her writing talents were instrumental in creating engaging profiles of more than 30 fellow members, contributing significantly to the organization’s newsletter and overall communication efforts. She is currently treasurer and has served as first vice president of membership and secretary.

“When it comes to presswomen and community service, one word you will never hear from Terry Haycock is ‘no,’” said Pamela Stallsmith, a past VPC president. “Whether it’s holding two demanding board positions simultaneously while also volunteering to write regular profiles of members or overseeing the décor of conferences, Terry tackles every task with diligence and grace.”

Throughout her professional career, Haycock held roles in which she was often responsible for communications and publications. She was parish administrator of St. James Episcopal Church, West Dundee, Illinois, where she served as liaison with the community, prepared service bulletins, designed annual reports and a centennial memento booklet and wrote and edited newsletters. 

Prior roles include assistant to the vice president of marketing at the American Fishing Tackle Manufacturers Association in Barrington, Illinois; editorial assistant of the National Safety Council, Itaska, Illinois; assistant director of development, Nashotah Theological Seminary, Nashotah, Wisconsin; and assistant director of the Three Arts Club of Chicago, a place for young women to study art, music and drama.

During this time, Haycock also taught private piano and music theory classes and served on the boards of the North Shore (Chicago) Chapter of AGO, North Shore Music Teachers Association and the Northwest Suburban Music Teachers Association. She wrote a newsletter for parents of her students and judged or coordinated Sonatina Festivals and a regional and state competition for the Illinois State Music Teachers Association. She served briefly as a member of the editorial committee for Diapason magazine and a docent for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.

Professionally, Haycock considers her greatest accomplishments tutoring college students from diverse backgrounds to improve their writing skills and achieve academic success at Elgin Community College in Elgin, Illinois.

Throughout her life, she has put her skills, both musical and editorial, to work for her church. Since moving to Virginia, she has served as a lector at St. Michael’s Episcopal Church in Bon Air, Virginia, where she also coordinated a parish pilgrimage to the National Cathedral and Roman Catholic Basilica and a monastery and assisted in planning a parish-wide summer retreat program.

A member of the Daughters of the American Revolution, Haycock also serves as vice president of membership (2019 to present), and current president-elect of the Richmond Alumnae Chapter of Sigma Alpha Iota, International Music Fraternity. Her daughter, Jessica, son-in-law Brad and grandson Mylo live in Fort Worth, Texas.

Haycock is a graduate of Northern Illinois University, earning a bachelor’s degree in English in 2001.