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Day Five: Women’s Page History in 7 Objects
The fifth object that represents the women’s pages is a reporter’s notebook. The women’s page journalist with her reporter’s notebook is Bobbi McCallum. The most amazing reporter’s notebook from a women’s page journalist that I have read was the one that Vivian Castleberry kept the day that President Kennedy was assassinated. It is available at the Sixth Floor Museum in Dallas. Vivian had been at the Trade Center and was waiting for the president to arrive. Word came that a shooting day occurred. Rev. Luther Holcomb began to speak. Vivian wrote of his words, “We are relying upon the faith we possess.” The wife of Henry S. Miller spoke out…
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Fashion Writers Marian Christy & Bobbi McCallum
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Media’s Coverage of the Pillbury Bake-Off
This is great background for the book chapter I am writing about the intersection between food advertisers and food editors. The Pillsbury Bake-Off was often newsworthy but some editors were worried about offering free advertising. For example, in 1971, at the Louisville Courier Journal, the editor noted that the $25,000 prize at the time made the Pillsbury Bake-off newsworthy. Yet, the newspaper did not want to provide free publicity so the name “Pillsbury” was not used in the story. Interestingly, the statement was made at a food editors conference that Pillsbury sponsored. Here is a story about it. New York Times’ food editor Jane Nickerson wrote about the first Pillsbury…
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Day Four: Women’s Page History in 7 Objects
Wine glasses represent the women’s page for day four. While these journalists took on hard news topics like child abuse, pay inequity and discrimination, they also liked to have fun. In this oral history, longtime women’s page editor Marjorie Paxson spoke about parties at the home of the St. Pete Times’ food editor Ruth Gray. The image above is of Miami Herald women’s page editor Marie Anderson and Miami News women’s page editor Billie O’Day. They are in a Missouri hotel room during the Penney-Missouri Awards’ workshop. Note all the liquor bottles on the counter.
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Day Three: Women’s Page History in 7 Objects
For day three of Women’s Page History in 7 Objects – the item is white gloves. In the 1950s and 1960s, it was expected that the women’s page journalist would wear white gloves when out on assignment. Dallas women’s page journalist Vivian Castleberry said she never went anywhere without a reporter’s notebook and white gloves. She told me that even the members of the Garden Club would wear white gloves at groundbreaking ceremonies. Here is a link to a documentary about Vivian that I was happy to be a part of. Above is an image of trailblazing women’s page editor Dorothy Jurney wearing gloves – seated next to Miami Herald…
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Day Two: Women’s Page History in 7 Objects
Day Two of Women’s Page History in Seven Object – is the telephone. The above phone was a Christmas present this year. It was found in an antique store in Cocoa Beach. The women’s page reporter on the phone is Bobbi McCallum. She was a journalist in Seattle who died at age 25. There is a scholarship still given in her memory. The image above can be found in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer collection at the Museum of History & Industry. Here is a link to my story about Bobbi.
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Fashion Writers Marian Christy & Bobbi McCallum
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Day One: Women’s Page History in 7 Objects
I just read about this cool history project – Seattle History in 25 Objects. In that spirit, I am blogging about seven objects in women’s page history for the next week. Today, it is the typewriter. This typewriter sits in my home office. Above is Vivian Castleberry at her typewriter. Vivian was the longtime women’s page editor at the Dallas Times Herald and a regular Penney-Missouri Award winner. Here is an article I wrote about Vivian. Here is a documentary about Vivian that aired on PBS.
A website devoted to the history of newspaper women's pages
