This week was Helen Thomas’ 89th Birthday. Helen was a good friend of Washington Star women’s page fashion Eleni Epstein. Here is an earlier entry on the friendship between the two women. (I am completing an R&R on an article about Eleni.) Helen celebrated her birthday with President Obama – he turned 48 on the same day. Here’s an article about the two sharing cupcakes.

This morning I am working on revisions for an R&R on my Eleni Epstein article for a state history journal. Eleni was the longtime fashion editor of the Washington Star. She won a Penney-Missouri Award in 1960. We went through Eleni’s papers several times at the Western Historical Manuscript Collection and found several references to Eleni on a trip to the Special Collections of the New York Public Library. I have some great images of Eleni -a fashionable woman in her own right. UPDATE: I just found some new letters written by Eleni in an archives at the Brooklyn Museum. I have ordered copies and should get them soon.

I just found this great 1961 image of journalist Helen Thomas with President JFK. Helen was good friends with women’s page journalist Eleni Epstein. In 1955, Eleni told Thomas that she had paid enough dues on the dawn patrol and deserved a better position. This story can be found in Helen Thomas, Front Row at the White House (New York: Scribner, 2000) I just received revision recommendations for an R & R on my article about Eleni. I went through her papers at two archives to write the article.

I just ordered this documentary on Helen Thomas. She was a friend of Washington Star fashion editor Eleni Epstein.

I have found some 1950s references to Washington Star fashion editor Eleni Epstein (including two photos) in the digitized LA Times. She was writing under the name Eleni Sakes at that time. I plan to send my Eleni article out this week. UPDATE: It’s been sent out.