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Marjorie Paxson - 2003
Inductee
Marjorie Paxson starts each morning with a cup
of coffee and three newspapers - the Muskogee
Phoenix, the Tulsa World and USA Today. Shortly
after lunch and the noon news on KOTV-6, her daily
Wall Street Journal is delivered to her door.
She caught the newspaper bug in high school journalism
class in Houston and has had printers ink in her
blood ever since. A 1944 graduate of the Missouri
School of Journalism, she began her distinguished
42-year newspaper career with United Press International
in Lincoln, Neb. Since then, she has held positions
with The Associated Press in Omaha, Houston Post,
Houston Chronicle, The Miami Herald, St. Petersburg
Times and the Philadelphia Bulletin. She joined
Gannett Newspaper Co. in 1976 and was named assistant
managing editor for the Idaho Statesman in Boise,
Idaho. In 1978 she became Gannett's fourth woman
publisher when she joined the Public Opinion in
Chambersburg, Pa. Two years later she was named
president and publisher of the Muskogee Phoenix,
a position she held until her retirement in 1986.
Her career is truly a documentary of women in
journalism. She has lived the evolution of change
from society section to lifestyle section . .
. society editor to managing editor and publisher.
Her career began during World War II. While she
held responsible positions with both United Press
International and The Associated Press, it was
mandatory that she step aside and make room for
a returning male veteran. This enterprising woman
saw this as an opportunity to advance her career
and joined the Houston Post as society editor,
the only management position available to women
in newsrooms across the country in those days.
"Indeed," she says, "It never
occurred to me that I would end up associated
with a major newspaper chain and hold the title
of publisher. In the decade of the '50s, I thought
I was doing well to land a job as society editor."
Shortly after retiring in 1986, she founded the
National Collection for Women and Media at her
alma mater in Missouri. This collection documents
the roles that women have played in the media,
how those roles have changed and are continuing
to change over time, and how attitudes toward
women in the media have evolved.
Among her many accomplishments, she considers
one or two to be at the top of her list. In 1975
she served as editor of the daily newspaper during
 Elizabeth
Campbell - 2002 Inductee
Elizabeth Campbell, founder and first president
of WETA, has served public broadcasting in the
Washington area continuously since 1953 - the
year she and other dedicated partners joined forces
to incorporate the Greater Washington Educational
Television Association (GWETA) in the District
of Columbia for the purpose of activating Channel
26. Recognized nationwide for her committed leadership,
Campbell has helped steer the station from its
days as a fledgling producer of classroom educational
programs for the local schools to national prominence
as the third-largest producing station for the
Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) and one of the
most-watched public television stations in the
United States.
In her current role as vice president of community
affairs, Campbell serves as liaison between WETA
and the people of Greater Washington. Her many
outreach activities have included speaking to
civic organizations, sponsoring a monthly lecture
series and hosting the Washington area's Children's
Art Festival.
A graduate of Salem College in Winston-Salem,
North Carolina, and Columbia University, Campbell
served as dean at two women's colleges and was
on the Arlington County School Board for 12 years,
including three terms as chair, before she committed
her talents to the untested field of public broadcasting.
Campbell was responsible for seeing that the
first GWETA educational program "Time for
Science" was aired for three years on a local
commercial station until Channel 26 began operations.
It is the first of many programs produced at GWETA
to take advantage of television's potential to
teach. Forty years later, she is still excited
about public broadcasting and refers to it as
"the lifeline for lifelong learning."
Campbell holds honorary doctorates from Washington
and Lee University, Mary Baldwin College, Salem
College, The George Washington University and
George Mason University. She has received numerous
awards and honors. Broadcasting industry honors
include the first Outstanding Public Television
Volunteer Award, PBS, 1991; the 1996 Ralph Lowell
Award from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting;
lifetime achievement, Women in Film and Video,
1995; and distinguished service, Broadcast Pioneers,
Washington Chapter, 1994. Her more recent accolades
include "First Ladies Salute First Women,"
distinguished honoree, 1999; the Cool Woman award
from Comcast and American Movie Classics in 2000;
the 2000 Pioneer Award from the National Association
of Women Business Owners; and a featured biography,
"Virginia Women in History" calendar,
Virginia Foundation for Women, 2001.
Helen S. Duhamel - 2002
Inductee
As a successful Rapid City, South Dakota businesswoman,
Duhamel recognized the potential of radio and
found radio advertising an important factor in
the success of her business enterprises. In 1943,
she became a stockholder in Black Hills Broadcasting,
which included KOBH Radio. In 1945, KOBH Radio
expanded from a 150-watt station to 5,000 watts.
Its call letters were changed to KOTA and later
became a CBS affiliate. By 1954 Duhamel was the
sole stockholder in the station. Attending early
broadcasting conferences, it became apparent she
was the only female owner of a radio station.
Duhamel expanded her radio operations to include
television, bringing network TV to South Dakota
by installing the world's longest privately owned
microwave system.
Duhamel received much recognition in the broadcasting
industry. In 1961, she became the first woman
to be elected as president of a state broadcasting
association. In 1966, as an equal partner in South
Dakota Cable, Inc., she brought cable television
to rural South Dakota. Her public service work
also brought the stations the McCall's "Golden
Mike Award" and the Alfred P. Sloan Radio-Television
Award for Distinguished Public Service. In 1969,
she spent twenty-two days behind the Iron Curtain
as an Ambassador for the National Association
of Broadcasters. She also received a letter of
commendation from the President of the United
States for her stations' public service during
the devastating Black Hills flood in 1972.
In 1976, Duhamel was elected to the South Dakota
Broadcasters Association Hall of Fame; and in
1991, she was also included in the Nebraska Broadcasters'
Hall of Fame. Helen S. Duhamel died in 1991 at
the age of 87. In 1999, Rapid City honored her
by naming her Millennium All-Star of the Past
as an outstanding broadcast pioneer and businesswoman.
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"To
follow with faith where others have led; to lead with
vision so others may follow."
