I just ordered the oral history of Yvonne Pendleton from the Sixth Floor Museum, who was a fashion reporter at the Dallas Times Herald. She worked for women’s page editor Vivian Castleberry, who I am writing a book about. The Sixth Floor Museum oral histories have been very helpful in understanding Dallas in the 1960s.

This morning, I interviewed Dallas historian Darwin Payne. He worked with Dallas Times Herald women’s page editor Vivian Castleberry. They also went to the same church. We gave me same interesting insight and reinforced my premise that it was Vivian’s ability to be ladylike that also allowed her to be so progressive. In other words, she did not come off as threatening so she got away with many things that helped women.

This morning, I interviewed Dallas historian Darwin Payne. He worked with Dallas Times Herald women’s page editor Vivian Castleberry. They also went to the same church. We gave me same interesting insight and reinforced my premise that it was Vivian’s ability to be ladylike that also allowed her to be so progressive. In other words, she did not come off as threatening so she got away with many things that helped women.

Dallas civic leader and women’s rights advocate Virginia Whitehill often worked with Dallas women’s page editor Vivian Castleberry to create a better place for women. Beginning in the 1960s, the two women helped co-found the Dallas Women’s Coalition, Women’s Issues Network, Dallas Women’s Foundation, The Family Place shelter, and the Women’s Southwest Federal Credit Union. From a Dallas Morning News profile: “Each was intended to help with the issues confronting women, but that didn’t make Ms. Whitehill andother leaders popular in some circles.“When we went down to Austin to lobby state leaders, some called us ‘FLACs’ – ‘Fat Lesbian Atheist Communists,’ ” she said. “There was that kind of bad-mouthing.…

Dallas civic leader and women’s rights advocate Virginia Whitehill often worked with Dallas women’s page editor Vivian Castleberry to create a better place for women. Beginning in the 1960s, the two women helped co-found the Dallas Women’s Coalition, Women’s Issues Network, Dallas Women’s Foundation, The Family Place shelter, and the Women’s Southwest Federal Credit Union. From a Dallas Morning News profile: “Each was intended to help with the issues confronting women, but that didn’t make Ms. Whitehill andother leaders popular in some circles.“When we went down to Austin to lobby state leaders, some called us ‘FLACs’ – ‘Fat Lesbian Atheist Communists,’ ” she said. “There was that kind of bad-mouthing.…

Today I am back to working on my manuscript on Dallas Times Herald women’s page editor Vivian Castleberry. I am writing about her coverage of the assassination of President Kennedy. She was waiting to watch the president at the Trade Mart. The above hate ad ran in Dallas Morning News on the morning of the assassination. In an oral history, Vivian recalled being relieved that her newspaper did not run the ad.