I spent this week at a seminar on the Veterans History Project that UCF will be a part of in 2010-2011. There are several connections between veterans and women’s page editors. Women’s page editors Vivian Castleberry and Colleen “Koky” Dishon were married to WW II veterans. During WW II, future Nevada women’s page journalist Ruthe Deskin became the employee relations director at the Army Ordnance Depot near Herlong, California, about 70 miles north of Reno. She put out the organization’s newspaper and was authorized to administer oaths. In that position, she received “excellent” ratings from her supervisors and earned the Extra-Meritorious Civilian Service Medal. She was one of the few…

I spent this week at a seminar on the Veterans History Project that UCF will be a part of in 2010-2011. There are several connections between veterans and women’s page editors. Women’s page editors Vivian Castleberry and Colleen “Koky” Dishon were married to WW II veterans. During WW II, future Nevada women’s page journalist Ruthe Deskin became the employee relations director at the Army Ordnance Depot near Herlong, California, about 70 miles north of Reno. She put out the organization’s newspaper and was authorized to administer oaths. In that position, she received “excellent” ratings from her supervisors and earned the Extra-Meritorious Civilian Service Medal. She was one of the few…

With the Final Four teams set, I was thinking of which of the women’s page editors were the biggest sports fans. Billie O’Day (of the Miami News) loved the Miami Hurricanes so much, she used to follow the sports photographer onto the field. Roberta Applegate (of the Miami Herald) continued to follow the Michigan State teams after graduation and wrote to her parents about winning games. But the biggest sports fan had to be the Las Vegas Sun’s Ruthe Deskin (featured above). She said several times that her dream job was to coach the basketball team at UNLV. My article about Ruthe will come out sometime this year.

With the Final Four teams set, I was thinking of which of the women’s page editors were the biggest sports fans. Billie O’Day (of the Miami News) loved the Miami Hurricanes so much, she used to follow the sports photographer onto the field. Roberta Applegate (of the Miami Herald) continued to follow the Michigan State teams after graduation and wrote to her parents about winning games. But the biggest sports fan had to be the Las Vegas Sun’s Ruthe Deskin (featured above). She said several times that her dream job was to coach the basketball team at UNLV. My article about Ruthe will come out sometime this year.

Today, health care reform passed due to the work of Nevada Harry Reid. Here is an article about his strategy. Harry was connected to one of the woman I study – Las Vegas journalist Ruthe Deskin. Through the Las Vegas Sun, oversaw a high school leadership program and recruited Harry when he was a student. Years later, he said he felt accountable to Ruthe when she criticized him in her newspaper column. I have been exchanging messages today with Las Vegas historian Mike Green about how proud Ruthe would have been of Sen. Reid. My article about Ruthe comes out this Spring.

Today, health care reform passed due to the work of Nevada Harry Reid. Here is an article about his strategy. Harry was connected to one of the woman I study – Las Vegas journalist Ruthe Deskin. Through the Las Vegas Sun, oversaw a high school leadership program and recruited Harry when he was a student. Years later, he said he felt accountable to Ruthe when she criticized him in her newspaper column. I have been exchanging messages today with Las Vegas historian Mike Green about how proud Ruthe would have been of Sen. Reid. My article about Ruthe comes out this Spring.