Sept.7, 2000 -- In an opening evening ceremony at its Sept. 7-9 NFPW "Top of the World" Conference in Anchorage, Alaska, the National Federation of Press Women honored 27 "Women of the Millennium" who had been nominated by their state affiliates, including two by Illinois Woman's Press Association. NFPW President Vivien Sadowski said, "We in media and communications stand on the shoulders of women who have broken glass ceilings and cared courageously for those around them. During this millennium year, NFPW wants to recognize their achievements and hold them up as an inspiration for the future."

The "millennium" recognition is especially appropriate because NFPW has state affiliates that existed as independent women’s journalism groups before NFPW was formed in Chicago in 1937, including Illinois, established in 1885; Texas (1893); Tennessee (1899); and Indiana (1913).

In her remarks at the Sept. 7 ceremony, Sadowski emphasized that these "foremothers" are "people without whom there might not be an NFPW." The two Illinois women were Olga Gize Carlile, veteran Illinois journalist, and Helen Miller Malloch (awarded posthumously), noted lecturer, teacher, author, and editor:

Olga Gize Carlile has held every position except treasurer in the Illinois Woman's Press Association and was its president for two years. Nationally, she served for eight years on the NFPW Education Fund board. She was honored as NFPW's Communicator of Achievement in 1992.

Carlile started her 50-year career in journalism at a time when few married women were in the professional workforce, working as a managing editor when there almost no women in that position. A dedicated print journalist, she wrote a daily column for eight years, a record few journalists can match, and is the author of four books, one of which, a cookbook, has sold over 10,000 copies. She broke ground for women journalists, finding ways to balance career, family, and community commitments and mentoring young journalists beginning their careers. In the course of her work, she interviewed such notables as Pearl Buck, Julia Childs, and Vincent Price, but found greatest pleasure in telling the stories of unknown people.

Carlile is described as one of that "unrecognized cadre of women who bring identity and definition through their commitment, energy, and active caring. She has contributed to the advancement of women in the media profession and in her community, state, and nation."

Helen Miller Malloch joined the Illinois Woman's Press Association in 1928 and was elected its 20th president in 1935. When IWPA celebrated its 50th anniversary in 1935, Malloch thought of federating a national organization of woman writers. The idea first started when IWPA was interested in getting copyright legislation through Congress, and Malloch saw it as one of the many advantages that unification could offer its members. She had found "a number of state and local press groups flourishing in various parts of the country and a press group in Canada, but nothing had been done about press women in the United States." The Ohio Press Club was the first to endorse the idea of a national organization, in October 1936. On May 6, 1937, in Chicago, Malloch was elected president of the newly formed National Federation of Press Women.

Malloch was born in Illinois in 1988 and graduated from Teachers' College of Wesleyan (Nebraska) in 1909. After teaching school for several years and working for newspapers in Nebraska, she returned to Illinois in 1919 to become editor of Sunday school publications for Cook Publishing Company in Elgin. Soon she was managing editor of its largest publication, The Young People's Weekly, which she edited for 12 years. She was also editor of Countryside, supervising editor of Boys' World, and for 15 years editor of What to Do. In 16 years at Cook, she was also book editor. In 1935, she married Douglas Malloch, associate editor of the American Lumberman magazine, and traveled extensively with him, forming wide contacts with professional women.

Helen Malloch died in 1963 while attending the NFPW annual convention in Indianapolis. Of her work in creating the National Federation of Press Women, she said, "This, with very much of myself, I have given you, but you are the ones who will make it live as my lasting memorial."