Betty Preston Oiler

Betty Preston Oiler went from an award-winning women’s page editor to a publisher during her career in Glendale, California. A Michigan native, she graduated from Petoskey High School and attended Michigan State College (now Michigan State University). She graduated in 1941 with a degree in journalism. She was taught by the chair of the journalism program Albert Applegate who had a daughter, Roberta, near Preston’s age. Roberta Applegate (mentioned in an earlier post) would also go on to be a significant women’s page journalist. She said: “My dad was extremely supportive of women who were highly ambitious.”

After moving to California to be with her parents and escape the snowy winters, Preston made an impression on Glendale News-Press Publisher Carroll Parcher. He later noted, “We didn’t exactly have a job open at the time but something told me this girl was too good to let get away.”She quickly became editor of the women’s page and made her mark on it. Former News-Press reporter Avery Keener Econome noted, “The woman was really a pioneer in progressing those old-fashioned society sections into real feature sections that appealed to both sexes and all age groups. Times were changing and she wanted to be on top of that.”

She won four Penney-Missouri Awards in the 1960s and also attended the API sessions for women’s page editors. After the elimination of her section, she went on to be a city editor, managing editor and executive editor.

I am collecting data on Oiler – going through microfiche of her sections. I also interviewed her step-daughter who was VERY helpful. I plan to begin drafting an article this summer for a state history journal.