Women's Press Club of Pittsburgh

founded 1891

BiographyThe Women's Press Club of Pittsburgh was one of the first press clubs to form in the United States, and one of the earliest professional women's clubs in the country. The Club was formed on February 7, 1891 by seven newspaperwomen to promote friendship and the work of women in journalism. The first meeting was held in the offices of the old Commercial Gazette (later the Gazette Times, and today the Post-Gazette) and was attended by Cara Reese, Virginia D. Hyde, Janey Mulhern Coard, Bell McElheny, Kathleen Hussy Watson, Clara M. Walmer, and Caroline Wetherell. The Club was originally open only to women actively employed by newspapers of Pittsburgh. In 1895, the Club extended membership to writers on "journals of recognized standing in Western Pennsylvania" and allowed all women who were interested in journalistic or literary work in the region to become associate members. These changes contributed greatly to the Club's early growth, allowing the inclusion of women who were remotely connected with newspaper work. The new members included the wives of newspaper editors, publishers and those in associated trades. It also allowed the Club to take advantage of the membership of women who were closely related to newspapermen, and who were thus able to assist the Club in obtaining well-known speakers for its annual banquets. In June 1898, the Club was chartered by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and adopted by-laws that allowed for three types of members. Active members were women who were "attached to and paid by" a newspaper, journal, or magazine of recognized standing. Associate members were those formerly so employed, and honorary members were anyone the Club recognized as "of marked literary ability." The by-laws mandated that associate membership was not to exceed 33% of the total club membership. By the 1940s, associate members gained the right to play a more active role in the Club by running for offices and assuming leadership capacities.

Since its inception, the Women's Press Club has attempted to meet once a month, whether in a press building, a member's home, or some other inexpensive space. In addition, the Club functions include an annual Christmas party and yearly anniversary celebration, often a banquet. In the Club's early years, when money was tight, members wrote and performed humorous skits for the Club banquets. As the Club matured and gained stature over the years, speakers who were prominent in journalism were chosen for these events. Another major activity of the Women's Press Club has been providing scholarships and awards for those interested in journalism. Among these awards have been the Gertrude Gordon Memorial Fund prize, the Grayce Druitt Latus Award, the Mary Shine Award, and the Golden Quill Award. The Gertrude Gordon Memorial Fund prize was first awarded in 1956.

It was a scholarship of $75, given to a college student who wrote the best interview of an interesting figure, chosen by the Club. The Fund was started in 1956 with a gift of $1500 from Ben Paul Brasley, a Pittsburgh attorney. Although the dollar amounts awarded have changed, the award has been given annually by the Club ever since. The award was expanded in 1992 to include a $300 award for professional writers. The runner up for this award was given the Grayce Druitt Latus Award, first awarded in 1972. The fund was provided by the daughter of Grayce Druitt Latus, who died in 1970 after a journalistic career that lasted over 55 years. The Mary Shine Award was first awarded on April 25, 1960 in honor of Mary Shine, a club editor who died in 1959. Her husband, Sylvester Saffter, contributed $350 to the Club to be used for a special yearly prize for a women's page story. Rather than awarding a cash prize, the winner was presented with an item inscribed with the year and the name of the award. The first award was a Steuben vase that was placed on an inscribed wooden base. In 1971, the Mary Shine Award was discontinued because of a lack of funds and small pool of members who were writing women's page stories.

One of the major journalism awards in the Pittsburgh area is the Golden Quill Award. The Golden Quill was first presented on December 7, 1960 and has been presented yearly ever since. The Golden Quill is awarded jointly by a number of local press organizations. In addition to the Women's Press Club of Pittsburgh, these groups are the Pittsburgh Chapter of Sigma Delta Chi, the Pittsburgh Press Club, the Pittsburgh Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America, Theta Sigma Phi (a national professional fraternity for women in journalism), and the Gateway Chapter of American Women in Radio and Television, Inc. The purpose of the Golden Quill is to provide public recognition for the best creative achievements of men and women engaged in journalism in Western Pennsylvania. Along with the presentation of such awards, the Club pursued activities more directly beneficial to its members. In 1917, the Club held a gala at the Alvin Theater to raise money for an emergency fund to help members in need. It also began publication of The Yearly Waste Basket in 1926, a satirical publication containing inside jokes, poetry, fantasy, and stories. New issues of the work continued to be produced sporadically for several years following.

While women are now allowed to join other press organizations, the Women's Press Club has remained an active professional organization for professional women in the region. On February 7, 1991, the Club celebrated its 100th Anniversary with a banquet and the production of a Club history by Ann Zarosky. In the various notes, articles, and letters Ms. Zarosky collected for the writing of her book are several facts that may be of particular interest to the researcher about events occurring during World War II and the McCarthy Era. Several club members joined women's branches of the military. One of these, Bernice Shine, joined Air WAC in 1943 and served as Captain Shine for three years in Germany and two years in Japan. Veronica Volpe also served in the WAVES for three years, where she worked on revisions of the Navy Cookbook. An interesting event occurred on April 13, 1945, when a speaker from the University of Pittsburgh at a Club banquet spoke on "Russia in World Affairs." Though he began the talk stating that he was not a communist, his lecture centered around his admiration of the communist form of government. The Federal Bureau of Investigation took more than a passing interest in this guest speaker and questioned everyone present at the talk.