USA > Ohio > Women of Ohio; a record of their achievements in the history of the state, Volume III > Part 33
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ELIZABETH McCANN
Enthusiastic co-operation of members of the Ohio Newspaper Women's Association in writing the history "Women of Ohio" is instanced by that of ELIZABETH McCANN (Mrs. Leo Meara), formerly feature editor of the Zanesville, Ohio, Sunday Times and publicity director for the Northwest Ter- ritory Celebration Commission of Ohio. Research conducted by Mrs. Meara in the course of her service to the Northwest Territory Commission has made her an authority on matters of early history especially significant to an ac- curate account of women's work in Ohio.
Elizabeth received her journalistic training at Western Reserve Uni- versity, Cleveland and at Muskingum College. For a number of years past she has attracted attention also as a writer of verse widely published in maga- zines and newspapers. Author of a book of poems "A Pair of Chinese Vases" which received high praise from the critics, she has active membership in the Ohio Poetry Society. She is also active in the Ohio Newspaper Women's Association, the American Association of University Women, the Zanesville Charity Circle, Zanesville Golf Club and the Singing Quill.
The marriage of Elizabeth McCann to Leo Meara of Baltimore, Mary- land, son of Charles Meara of Columbus, took place in the spring of 1939 at St. Thomas Church, Zanesville. Mr. Meara is a graduate of the college of engineering of Ohio State University where he also received the degree of doctor of philosophy. He is associated with the U. S. Engineer's office in Baltimore. Their present home is in that city.
RUTH NEELY
In his preface to an article by RUTH NEELY featured by the late Marlen E. Pew in "Editor and Publisher" several years ago, this widely known editor said: "Able and experienced newspaper women know how to write feel-
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ingly and with purpose. Such a woman is Ruth Neely, of Cincinnati, as dis- tinguished a journalist as we know in America."
This high praise was based on long acquaintanceship with the work of the Cincinnati newspaper woman, who began her reportorial career almost thirty years ago, on the old Cincinnati Commercial Tribune.
There is a tradition still extant that Miss Neely made page one the first day of her service as a cub reporter. Whether this is fact or fancy, there is no question about a distinction which the new editor of "Women of Ohio" admits quite freely. Her name is one of a group listed on a bronze tablet in the main corridor of Hamilton County Court House as having helped to win the day for woman suffrage.
Aviation, in its earliest infancy when Miss Neely began newspaper work, so deeply interested the woman reporter that when the first "flying circus" was held near Cincinnati in 1909, she determined to obtain a "personal ex- perience" story. None of the primitive planes and "airships" assembled for this first aviation meet ever held in the region could carry more than the pilot. So the newswoman managed a solo ascension, landed quite intact and "made" her story. This is said to have been the first time a woman ever attempted a dirigible flight in this country. Miss Neely was also the first woman permitted as passenger in an army airplane.
In 1923 Miss Neely became president of the Ohio Newspaper Women's Association and as such suggested and helped to inaugurate the first annual state wide competition for the best newspaper work done by O. N. W. A. members during the year. The late Charles P. Taft, owner and publisher of the Cincinnati Times-Star, of which Miss Neely was at the time a staff mem- ber, made the first gift of prize money and this initiated the yearly contests of the Association now known among newspaper workers throughout the country.
In 1931, at an O. N. W. A. Convention held in Cincinnati, Miss Neely won the leading prize, awarded for the most outstanding piece of newspaper work of the year. She has covered numerous notable assignments, inter- viewed innumerable celebrities, national and international-been sent to na- tional political conventions, edited a variety of newspaper departments-done all that goes with the day's work. This did not, however, lessen her per- sonal interest and active participation in constructive and progressive move- ments with which she came in contact. This included the Cincinnati Wom- an's City Club, which she served for a time as vice president, the Cincinnati Peace League, which she helped to organize, the Foreign Policy Association during its early struggle for bettered understanding of international prob- lems, and other activities for welfare and advancement. For five years Miss
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Neely has been a free lance writer and publicity director. The past year has been devoted to editing "Women of Ohio."
She was married in 1908 to William Cook France of Covington, Ky., where they have their home. In her work she has continued to use her writ- ing name, Ruth Neely. She is the daughter of the late Winfield Scott Neely, attorney, who came to Kentucky from New Philadelphia, Ohio and Frances Romaine Neely.
MIRIAM ROSENTHAL
A clever Dayton newspaper woman originated a fine tribute to MIRIAM ROSENTHAL, head of the Dayton, O., firm of Rosenthal-Reynolds, Public Relations. She called Miss Rosenthal "the power behind Dayton's civic throne," a phrase highly approved and widely accepted ever since.
There is good reason for its acceptance. Although Miriam Rosenthal rarely accepts the official chairmanship of a civic or social service project, she usually directs most of Dayton's important humanitarian enterprises -- from behind the scenes. She is manager as well as publicity chairman of the Red Cross Roll Call. Her office is publicity headquarters for the annual Community Chest campaign. She was publicity secretary for the Good Sa- maritan Hospital drive which netted one million dollars, ten years ago. She organized the Woman's Crusade, a group designed to work in connection with the Community Chest. She designed a recreation map for the city of Dayton which challenged attention throughout the country. She planned, organized and managed the annual Philharmonic dinner. She has conducted campaigns for the United Jewish Council and numerous other organizations. She ghost writes for some of the leading citizens of the community. A generous por- tion of her civic and social services are gratuitous but how much one would never learn from Miriam Rosenthal-she is a doer, not a babbler.
Born at Lebanon, O., the daughter of Joseph and Celina Rosenthal, both from Russia, Miriam was graduated from Steele High School, Dayton and took special courses at Ohio State University and Cincinnati University. She was for 10 years a reporter on the Dayton Daily News before starting her own business of publicity and public relations. The firm she now heads is representative for Ohio of the Waldorf Astoria Hotel, New York; oper- ates a social service feature syndicate which supplies photos, cuts, posters and copy to cities all over the country; has complete management of the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra and conducts numerous other enterprises in the pub- lic relations field.
With all this, Miriam found time, several years ago, to write a book, "The Junior Fire Chief." It is dedicated to "Children, from Six to Sixty. who never grow tired for following the Fire Chief's Siren" and is a graphic dramatization of the daily work of a fire department.
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Miss Rosenthal is a past president of the Dayton Women's Press Club and is active in the Ohio Newspaper Women's Association. Success of the 1939 convention of the O. N. W. A., at Dayton, was regarded as assured by members of the Dayton committee when Miriam Rosenthal accepted chair- manship of their arrangements. They feel that way about her work, for here is a prophet not without honor in her own country.
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WOMEN IN RADIO
JEAN ADAMS
JEAN ADAMS (Therese Margaret Walker), widely known staff member of Station WHKC, Columbus, O., was born in New York City. She spent much of her childhood and youth in European travel and became fluent in the French, Italian and German languages. Her paternal ancestry is Ameri- can of French and Swiss descent and on the maternal side of Irish descent.
Therese attended business schools in New York City, accepted several secretarial positions and finally entered into salesmanship. Now an adopted daughter of Ohio, her previous residence has been in a number of states.
She attended the Willson Frazier School of the Spoken Word, perfected herself in her chosen work, radio, and now intends, among other aims, to gain the widest possible recogintion for Ohio poets.
Jean Adams is at present associated, in a program known as "Melody and Verse," with John Kenward Agnew, who develops the musical back- grounds and artistic settings for poems given over Station WHKC at Co- lumbus. This city is now the home of the Walker family, which includes two sons.
RUTH KESSLER BEYER
RUTH KESSLER BEYER, lyric concert soprano and radio solist over Station WBNS, Columbus was born at Aachen, Germany. Her parents were of the theater, and her father was associated with the founding of the Leipsic radio station. Mrs. Kessler studied with Prof. Oscar Lassner at his conservatory in Leipsic, now associated with the New Jersey College for Women and other famous teachers.
While engaged in concert work at Leipsic, Ruth Kessler became the wife of Emil Beyer, pianist. These two artists gave concerts in all of the European music capitals and broadcast over radio stations at Berlin, Breslau, Cologne, Leipsic, Stuttgart, (Germany), Basle, Monte Ceneri, Zurich, Barcelona.
At WLW, Cincinnati, Mrs. Kessler gave a period of concerts while on an American tour. Emil and Ruth Kessler Beyer are now residents of Gran- ville, Ohio, where Prof. Beyer is professor of Piano at the Conservatory of Music at Dennison University.
Prof. and Mrs. Beyer are associated with the unit of the Columbia Broad- casting System, WBNS, at Columbus, Ohio and since the autumn of 1938 have been giving regular broadcasts of the classics.
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MARY ELIZABETH BROCKERMAN
MARY ELIZABETH BROCKERMAN, soprano soloist over the Mutual and United Broadcasting Systems over Station WHKC, Columbus, was born at Fostoria, O., where she attended public school and was graduated from East High School. For seven years she studied voice under Marion Corey Dyer and for three years sang over Stations WCOL and WSEN.
Miss Brockerman has attracted wide interest through her present pro- gram in which she is heard with John Kenward Agnew, Mutual organist, in several series-"Songs that Sweethearts Sing," "Drifting and Dreaming," etc. She is an active member of leading music clubs of Columbus.
ELEANOR HANSON
ELEANOR HANSON, director of women's activities of Stations WHK and WCLE, Cleveland, was born in that city, the daughter of Arthur C. and Nellie Geering Hanson. Her mother was a talented singer and her father, born in Norway, a gifted pianist, although neither were professionals.
Eleanor attended elementary schools in Cleveland and later Notre Dame College, where she studied piano, singing, dramatics and art. Her first posi- tion was as business manager of a small hospital, after which she became a comparison shopper for Cleveland's largest department store and in this connection conducted radio programs over Station WGAR.
Her radio work expanded and in 1926 she was appointed to her present responsible position. Eleanor Hanson's main interests, outside of the ex- acting demands of her profession, are books and music and her work defi- nitely reflects the knowledge and culture these tastes have developed. Her program schedule follows:
Thursday afternoons, on WHK, a 15 minute program, captioned "Fashion Quest" reporting on Cleveland-made fashion merchandise.
Saturday, a program captioned "Idea Lady." It features suggestions and directions for making crepe paper favors, dolls and toys at home.
Monday through Friday, on Station WCLE, "Woman's World." Brief items of interest to women-fashions, beauty, home hints, etc.
Also on WHK and WCLE at irregular intervals, air interviews with distinguished visitors to Cleveland.
PAULINE HOPKINS
PAULINE HOPKINS, radio writer and actress of Station WLW, Cincin- nati, was born in Chicago and was graduated from Senn High School in that city. She comes from an artistic family, especially interested in music; one brother, Henry, is professor in charge of music at Normal School, Chicago, and another, George, is cellist in the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.
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Miss Hopkins began writing at the age of seven, and in grade and high school developed an interest in dramatics. She went on the stage at sixteen, after winning the role of understudy to Claiborne Foster in "The Patsy," an award which was given her in competition with almost 2,000 applicants. Before she was twenty, Miss Hopkins had played the leading part in the popular "Smilin' Through."
In 1931 Miss Hopkins made her radio debut as an authoress and actress at KOIL, Omaha. For five years she wrote half-hour scripts for the "First Nighter" and "Grand Hotel" network programs, and won respective first and second prizes in a national survey of the most popular writers on the series.
In 1936 she joined the staff of WLW, Cincinnati, and there began writing the "Mad Hatterfields" program, now on its third successive year of broad- casting. In that time she has written over two million words of script for the feature, in which she also takes the role of "Meg."
In addition, she is now writing "Midstream," a serial drama aired by 52 National Broadcasting Company stations.
Miss Hopkins is considered one of the most prolific, as well as one of the most distinctive writers of serial scripts in radio today. Her work is especially notable for dextrous and original plots and sparkling dialogue, as well as fidelity to natural characterization.
She is the wife of Owen Vinson, program director of WLW.
BERTHA HUBBELL
BERTHA HUBBELL, also a successful farmer's wife, contributes a weekly column of radio news, called "Over the Air." She is also a reader-editor of the Woman's Home Companion.
BEULAH STRAWWAY
BEULAH STRAWWAY, head of the department of sales promotion of Station WLW, Cincinnati, was born at Columbus, O., completed the course of an outstanding business college of Detroit, Mich., and obtained her first job in the clerical department of a leading motor company.
Presently she became assistant manager of a widely known duplicating machine company, in which position she gained sufficient experience to justify her next move-to the advertising business.
In this field Miss Strawway advanced steadily, from all round staff work for the J. L. Hudson Co. to assistant managership of a large Detroit specialty house, then to the Evan Ellis Agency of Chicago, then to Sears Roebuck, where she wrote editorial copy, planned displays and put the finishing touches on her training in how to make people buy.
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Beulah came to Cincinnati on a special assignment to help establish and organize a display department for the Kroger Grocery and Baking Co. Several years later she was made their copy chief. She helped to establish advertising policies for 17 branch advertising departments-she correlated all display and advertising activities. She had married some years previously, so after her work was thoroughly established she decided to take time out for a baby-now a golden-haired two-year-old with curling black eyelashes.
As radio offered more and more promise for future activities, Beulah started in this field by helping to build up a merchandising department. She planned ways and means to help advertisers move their products quickly-she increased the effectiveness of their programs, sharpened their sales points.
It was quickly evident that Beulah Strawway knew her stuff. For within six months she was put in charge of sales promotion of WLW, her present position.
MRS. L. S. TEETER
MRS. L. S. TEETER, whose special program "Books on the Table" was inaugurated over Station WOSU, Ohio State University, in 1932, is a resident of Westerville, O., where her family has long been established.
Mrs. Teeter had her first training in book evaluation and salesmanship in 1918, when she took a position in this department of a Cedar Rapids, Ia., de- partment store.
In 1926 she opened the book department of the F. and R. Lazarus Co. at Columbus, in connection with which she now conducts one of the largest lending libraries of the state.
Her broadcasts over WOSU were a development of the educational side of the project whereby authors are brought, in informal interviews, before the public and their books discussed, frankly and informingly, over the microphone.
MARIE WILLIAMS VANDEGRIFT
MARIE WILLIAMS VANDEGRIFT, manager of Station WPAY, Ports- mouth, was born at Jackson, Ohio, the daughter of Edward Guynam and Gwendolyn Edmunds Williams, both of Welsh ancestry.
Marie attended Central High School, Columbus, and took special courses at Ohio State University. Her radio work began as editor at Station WPAY in 1925 and continued, with a short interval of free lance writing, until 1935 when she was appointed to her present position.
She is a member of the League of American Pen Women, a former vice president of the American Insurance Union; is president of the New Century Club of Portsmouth, active in the Chamber of Commerce and belongs to Scholars and Sigma Phi sororities.
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Her marriage to Louis E. Vandegrift, civil engineer of Columbus, took place in 1922.
In addition to the important position she holds in radio, Mrs. Vandegrift has achieved definite success as a short story and feature writer.
MILDRED WARNER
MILDRED WARNER, society and club editor of Station WHKC, Colum- bus, was born at Silver Lake, Ind., where she attended elementary schools, moving to Columbus in 1918. She was graduated in 1925 from the Wynters School of Expression at Columbus and has for 14 years been a member of the Wynters All Alumni Players.
One of her most effective programs, "Mostly About Women," based on personal experiences, did much to center interest on Miss Warner when she became a staff member of Station WHKC. The program, broadcast each morning from Monday through Friday, included fashions, women in the news, beauty hints, recipes, news of women's activities and social events. Another successful program, "Wealth of Today," which combined practical philosophy with selected verse, was given by Miss Warner for 52 weeks over WHKC. She also directs and presents personal appearance programs for school, historical and other organizations.
JANE WEAVER
JANE WEAVER, director of women's activities for WTAM, Cleveland's 50,000-watt radio, has been conducting women's programs on the air for the past eight years. Her name has become one of the best known among feminine personalities in radio, not only in Ohio but throughout the country.
With her popular "Health and Home" program heard each weekday morning from 8 to 8:30, Miss Weaver, as "your friendly adviser," has earned an enviable reputation as an authority in home making, cooking, women's news, fashions, etc. But the efficient operation of a home and fashions are not the only fields in which she can well qualify as an expert. Miss Weaver also has had wide experience in dramatics, as actress, coach and technical consultant.
Although known as Jane Weaver professionally, WTAM's women's di- rector was born Polly Deal, the daughter of Mrs. and the late Dr. H. E. Deal, a prominent dentist in Canton, Ohio. She received her preliminary edu- cation in Canton schools and after graduating from Canton Mckinley High School, studied at Wooster University and then entered Kent State Uni- versity. In her senior year at Kent, she had the distinction of being the only woman ever elected president of the class.
After graduation, Miss Weaver taught school for nearly a year before the lure of the footlights took her to Boston University to study the many phases
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of acting and the stage together with English and foreign languages. She then joined the Greenwich Village Players in New York for a season, playing the feminine lead in the Pulitzer prize play "Ice Bound."
She first entered radio as an actress and script writer. After gaining considerable experience on stations in Akron and in Florida, Miss Weaver came to Cleveland as production manager of the General Broadcasting Com- pany and later took the position of dramatic director at WHK. She joined the WTAM staff two years ago to conduct the "Health and Home" program and a year later was appointed director of women's activities.
She has appeared on coast-to-coast network program series as Irene Lee Taylor with Smilin' Ed McConnell; as Martha Adams in a counseling pro- gram ; as narrator on the popular NBC show "Cobwebs and Cadenzas," and on several other regular network features.
Miss Weaver is in constant demand to speak on the subjects of radio and dramatics before parent-teacher groups, professional women's clubs, and religious and civic groups. She was hostess for 3,000 club women at an informal tea and broadcast at the opening of the new WTAM studios when Cleveland's outstanding woman lecturer, Dorothy Fuldheim, was speaker. And on the first anniversary of the opening at a similar meeting, Marguerite Reilly, superintendent of Marysville Reformatory for Women, was the speaker. Miss Weaver was also hostess at a luncheon meeting of the Ohio Newspaper Women's Association held at WTAM last winter and for many smaller groups.
Miss Weaver is a member of the Professional and Business Women's Club, Women's Advertising Club of Cleveland, National Forensic League, Wooster University Alumni Association and Kent State University Alumni Associa- tion.
She is married to Joel W. Baker, Jr., and lives at 2566 Kemper Road, Shaker Heights, Ohio.
MARY MERICKEL WEST
Educational activities, radio broadcasting and physical development work have largely claimed the attention of MARY MERICKEL WEST, who is also well known through her writings on normalizing through health, posture and diet. She has been an instructor in that field for a number of years and in various sections of the country. A native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, she is a daughter of William and Edith Hurst, both natives of the Keystone state, where the father engaged in the wholesale grocery business. He died about 1899 and the mother afterward married Lou Hartson of Toledo, who was a bank architect and who passed away in 1924. She is still living in Toledo, making her home with her daughter, Mrs. West.
In her girlhood days, Mrs. West attended the grade schools of Pittsburgh and pursued her high school studies in Toledo, while at the same time she
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took extra courses in St. Ursula's Academy. She was graduated from the old Central High School and she also did work at the Scott High School of Toledo. In her senior year she married Herbert L. Merickel, who was secretary of the Toledo Merchandise Company. He died in 1925. Their daughter attended the Toledo schools and was graduated from the Scott High School, the class numbering six hundred and twenty-four. She was the sixth in the group of honor students with all A and B marks. After her graduation she went to Arlington Hall in Washington, D. C., then attended Sullins College at Bristol, Virginia, where she took an academic course. While at Arlington Hall, she was a student teacher and at Sullins she taught swim- ming, dancing and riding. She was a guest at the president's ball and also at the tea the following day. In 1936 she was graduated from the Uni- versity of Michigan with the Bachelor of Arts degree and a life teachers certificate. She taught in the third grade in the Progressive School in Ann Arbor for two years and she is a member of the Pi Theta Phi, a national sorority. In September, 1937, she married Donald E. Hillier of Cedar Rapids, Iowa and they now make their home in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, where her husband is connected with the Armstrong Cork Company. While pursuing her high school studies in Toledo, Mrs. Hillier also taught dancing in the Beatrice Gardner School and when only seventeen years of age she passed the examination for the Life Saving Corps.
It was in November, 1928 that Mary Merickel became the wife of Leo West. She attends St. Mark's Episcopal Church and she belongs to Toledo Chapter of the Eastern Star, to the Ladies of the Oriental Shrine of North America, to Ursula Wolcott Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revo- lution and was formerly connected with the Quota Club. After the death of her first husband she went back to college to secure her credits and she has since devoted much time to public work. She has given broadcasts on normalizing over a Toledo station, this being a system for increasing or re- ducing weight in either men or women. She gave the exercises on the air and sent out a diet, first in leaflet form and later in book form. She has devoted eight years to Y. W. C. A. work, has had one year of social service training and eight summers of intensive study at nationally known hospitals and sanitariums. She devoted eight years to physical education, dramatics and dancing at the Janes-Franklin private school, working with pupils from the first grade through the eighth and she did graduate work at the Battle Creek College of Physical Education and the Battle Creek Sanitarium. For eight years she was northern representative for an exclusive private summer camp in Virginia.
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