journalism history
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Vivian Castleberry reference in Thinking Big
In my research on Dallas Time Herald women’s page editor Vivian Castleberry, I came across the following reference in the book Thinking Big about the Los Angeles Times. (At one point, the L.A. Times owned the Dallas Times Herald.) “The major criticism of (editor Tom) Johnson was that his liberalism and commitment to new journalism was slick at best and superficial at worst. With all its changes, the Times Herald still remained a partial extension of its formal self. Certainly it had not become an anti-establishment paper. Editorial board member Vivian Castleberry was still the only woman appointed to a high-level position since the Johnson changes. When a board vacancy…
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Demise of Wisc. Commission on the Status of Women
In December 1978, Wisconsin Governor-Elect Lee Dreyfus announced to a room of journalists that he would allow the most powerful women’s organization in the state “to croak.” His coarse language led to lots of media coverage. It began a mediated discussion about women’s roles in Wisconsin after a decade of social change. In the end, Dreyfus followed through on his threat but it was not without a fight. Sparta native Katherine “Kay” Clarenbach, a powerful but behind-the-scenes figure, took on the governor. It was a more visible role than Clarenbach typically played. Lastly, unlike the national media which often mocked feminism, the state media took on a nuanced coverage of…
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Demise of Wisc. Commission on the Status of Women
In December 1978, Wisconsin Governor-Elect Lee Dreyfus announced to a room of journalists that he would allow the most powerful women’s organization in the state “to croak.” His coarse language led to lots of media coverage. It began a mediated discussion about women’s roles in Wisconsin after a decade of social change. In the end, Dreyfus followed through on his threat but it was not without a fight. Sparta native Katherine “Kay” Clarenbach, a powerful but behind-the-scenes figure, took on the governor. It was a more visible role than Clarenbach typically played. Lastly, unlike the national media which often mocked feminism, the state media took on a nuanced coverage of…
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New Vivian Castleberry clip
I just discovered this video clip of Vivian Castleberry, the former women’s page editor at the Dallas Times Herald. We are traveling to Dallas next week to see Vivian and her husband Curtis. We will be at the University of North Texas to watch the dedication of the Vivian Castleberry Peace Institute. I am writing a book about Vivian.
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Kalamazoo Gazette women’s page editor Marjorie Goldsmith
Kalamazoo Gazette women’s page editor Marjorie Goldsmith has died. Here is information from her obituary: The election of Dwight D. Eisenhower to the presidency in 1952 resulted, indirectly, in Kalamazoo gaining a first-rate journalist, according to Betty Upjohn Mason. Marjorie G. Goldsmith, who was working for the government in Washington, D.C., was relieved of her job along with many other Truman administration employees when Eisenhower took office in 1953, Mason said. Goldsmith is credited with modernizing the Gazette’s Women’s Section, which in the 1970s became the Family Living Section and covered a variety of topics from health to cooking, Mason said. “She was a very energetic … very charming, gregarious…
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Kalamazoo Gazette women’s page editor Marjorie Goldsmith
Kalamazoo Gazette women’s page editor Marjorie Goldsmith has died. Here is information from her obituary: The election of Dwight D. Eisenhower to the presidency in 1952 resulted, indirectly, in Kalamazoo gaining a first-rate journalist, according to Betty Upjohn Mason. Marjorie G. Goldsmith, who was working for the government in Washington, D.C., was relieved of her job along with many other Truman administration employees when Eisenhower took office in 1953, Mason said. Goldsmith is credited with modernizing the Gazette’s Women’s Section, which in the 1970s became the Family Living Section and covered a variety of topics from health to cooking, Mason said. “She was a very energetic … very charming, gregarious…
