They were trailblazers. Some were press women from the city, some new arrivals in Chicago; many of them were editors who wrote using their own name though countless others wrote under genderless nom-de-plumes; most of them were active in the temperance and equal suffrage movements. They were the first generation of women focused on advancements [...]
Throughout her life, Mary Augusta Dickerson had a youthful imagination. Born in New York City, New York in September of 1876, she was the daughter of Alfred James Dickerson and Nancy Augusta (Higgins). Mary would graduate as the valedictorian of her class at St. Mary’s School in New York City. Her talent led her first to [...]
Bernadine Freeman Bailey Bernadine Freeman Bailey, journalist, photographer, lecturer, American short story writer, and notable author of books for children served as the “war-time” president of the Illinois Woman’s Press Association from 1941-1945. Born in Mattoon, Illinois, on the 12th of November 1901, Bernadine’s parents were Thomas Oscar Freeman, a prominent physician and [...]
Leona A. Malek Leona Alford Krag Malek, pioneer journalist, nationally recognized home economist, radio personality, actress and clubwoman, was also known as Jean Prescott Adams, an authority of domestic economy and to thousands of newspaper readers as “Prudence Penny.” Malek served as the nineteenth president of the Illinois Woman’s Press Association from 1929 [...]
So We All Can Be Heard – Winter 2014 By Marianne Wolf-Astrauskas, IWPA Historian Helen Stevens Fisher During Chicago’s “Golden Age of Radio,” Helen Stevens Fisher was a radio personality. Her best known character “The Little Lady of the House” was a feature on The National Farm and Home Hour, which the U.S. Department [...]
So We All Can Be Heard - Summer 2013 By Marianne Wolf-Astrauskas, IWPA Historian In the beginning it was known as the “Editorial Writing Contest for High School Girls.” Earliest mention of the contest appeared in the September, 1972 edition of the IWPA newsletter, PenPoints. Back in the day, young ladies were presented with a sterling [...]
So We All Can Be Heard - Fall 2013 by Marianne Wolf-Astrauskas Now there are four: Gladys Erickson - 1967, Joanne Zerkel - 1986, Olga Carlile - 1992, and myself, Marianne Wolf-Astrauskas - 2013. The histories of IWPA and NFPW will forever regard us on the impressive list of national winners of the highly respected Communicator [...]
So We All Can Be Heard By Marianne Wolf-Astrauskas Mary Moncure Parker was a born entertainer. With a gift for writing humorist monologues she knew how to impersonate characters and read her stories with dramatic flair. In the multitude of show reviews written about Mary, the Chicago Tribune said, “She would make a great actress.” [...]
So We All Can Be Heard - Summer 2014 By Marianne Wolf-Astrauskas In 1986, Joanne Zerkel was honored by both the Illinois Woman’s Press Association and the National Federation of Press Women as their “Woman of Achievement” (now known as Communicator of Achievement). In response to her award Zerkel told attendees at the 1986 national [...]
