Aileen Ryan

In the 1960s, Aileen Ryan was a multiple Penney-Missouri winner, the top honor for women’s pages, at the Milwaukee Journal. As women’s page editor, Ryan covered fashion from the 1920s through the 1970s. In 1931, Ryan expanded the scope of fashion news and went to the New York City fashion shows – unheard of for a newspaper editor at the time. In June 1937, photos documenting one of Ryan’s trips to the European fashion shows became the first color photos printed in the Journal.

A scholarship is still given out in Aileen’s name at Mount Mary College.

Aileen was inducted into the Milwaukee Press Club Hall of Fame.

My article about Ryan is in the Fall/Winter 2004 issue of Milwaukee History Magazine.