Joan Elizabeth Gilmore (May 15, 1927 – May 9, 2022) was an American journalist based in Oklahoma City, where she was an editor and columnist at The Daily Oklahoman beginning in 1952. She was inducted into the Oklahoma Journalism Hall of Fame and the Oklahoma Women's Hall of Fame.
Joan Gilmore | |
|---|---|
 Joan Gilmore, from a 1951 newspaper | |
| Born | May 15, 1927 Waukegan, Illinois |
| Died | May 9, 2022 (aged 94) Oklahoma City, Oklahoma |
| Occupation(s) | Journalist, newspaper editor, publicist |
Early life and education
editGilmore was born in Waukegan, Illinois, the daughter of Joseph Gilmore and Helen Parks Gilmore.[1] She graduated from Waukegan High School in 1945.[2] She attended James Millikin University and in January 1951 earned an English degree from Drury University in Springfield, Missouri.[2][3] In 1961, she attended a two-week seminar for women editors, held by the American Press Institute of Columbia University.[4]
Career
editAfter college, Gilmore wrote a weekly column for The Drury Mirror and subsequently contributed to a Springfield local newspaper.[1]
In 1951, Gilmore was named society editor of the Muskogee Daily Phoenix.[2] In 1952, she became affiliated with The Daily Oklahoman and The Oklahoma City Times.[1][5] Starting as a reporter for the society department, she advanced to the role of women's news editor.[1] She reported from New York Fashion Week and similar press events in the 1960s and 1970s,[6][7][8] and returned to New York City to report on the Christmas shopping and store windows in 1966.[9] During her tenure, she met Al McLaughlin, the photo department director, whom she later married.[1][10] After 28 years with The Daily Oklahoman, she transitioned to co-founding a PR and videography business with McLaughlin.[1] Later, she became a columnist for The Journal Record, where she wrote for over 32 years.[1][11] She cowrote a biography, Old Man River: The Life of Ray Ackerman (2002, with Bob Burke).[12]
Outside of her professional work, Gilmore was involved in various civic and nonprofit organizations.[1] She was a founding member of Leadership Oklahoma City and Oklahoma Children's Medical Research Foundation.[1][5] She also served on the boards of institutions including the Oklahoma Symphony Orchestra, Ballet Oklahoma, and the Oklahoma City National Memorial Foundation.[1]
Awards and recognition
editAmong the recognitions she received during her career were Lifetime Achievement Awards from The Journal Record[13] and the Oklahoma City chapter of The Association for Women in Communications.[1] She was inducted into the Oklahoma Journalism Hall of Fame in 1994,[14] and in 2018 to the Oklahoma Women's Hall of Fame.[15] She also received awards from the Governor's Arts Award program.[1][16]
Personal life and legacy
editGilmore married fellow newspaper editor Al McLaughlin in 1974.[17] Her husband died in 2013.[18] She retired from her column in 2020, at age 93,[19] and she died in 2022, at the age of 94, in Oklahoma City.[1] She left $30,000 to the Oklahoma Journalism Hall of Fame, for a future museum and scholarship fund.[20]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "Legendary journalist Joan Gilmore passes away at age 94". okcfriday.com.
- ^ a b c "Miss Joan Gilmore Becomes Society Editor of Phoenix". Muskogee Daily Phoenix and Times-Democrat. 1951-09-09. p. 16. Retrieved 2023-09-25.
- ^ "Joan GIlmore is Assistant Women's Editor". The Daily Oklahoman. 1960-07-28. p. 13. Retrieved 2023-09-25 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Miss Joan Gilmore to Attend Seminar". The Daily Oklahoman. 1961-05-12. p. 14. Retrieved 2023-09-25 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b "Oklahoma journalism icon Joan Gilmore dead at 94". The Journal Record. May 9, 2022.
- ^ Gilmore, Joan (1965-06-13). "Fall Fashions Fill Gotham". The Daily Oklahoman. p. 76. Retrieved 2023-09-25 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Gilmore, Joan (1968-06-28). "Personal Clothes Style Means Instant Identification". The Oklahoma City Times. p. 9. Retrieved 2023-09-25 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Gilmore, Joan (1972-07-02). "Fall Season's Clothes Need Deciphering". The Daily Oklahoman. p. 72. Retrieved 2023-09-25 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Gilmore, Joan (1966-12-11). "Manhattan Christmas Automated". The Daily Oklahoman. p. 76. Retrieved 2023-09-25 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "A life in newsprint: Columnist Gilmore reflects on her years at OPUBCO". The Journal Record. September 16, 2011.
- ^ "Fridaylander Joanie Gilmore turns 90!". okcfriday.com. May 19, 2017. Retrieved 2023-09-26.
- ^ Hall, Dennie (2002-07-21). "Ackerman has place in history". The Daily Oklahoman. p. 91. Retrieved 2023-09-25 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Our Joan touted for Lifetime Achievement". okcfriday.com. October 14, 2005. Retrieved 2023-09-26.
- ^ Rodely, Billie. "Joan Gilmore and Al McLaughlin" Oklahoma Journalism Hall of Fame.
- ^ "Champagne, camomile and celebration". The Daily Oklahoman. 2018-10-14. pp. D6. Retrieved 2023-09-26 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Williams, JaNae. "'A real treasure': Former Oklahoman news editor, journalism hall of famer Joan Gilmore dies at 94". The Oklahoman.
- ^ "Alfred McLaughlin (obituary)". The Oklahoman, via Legacy.com. 2013. Retrieved 2023-09-26.
- ^ "Al McLaughlin, former photo editor for The Oklahoman, dies at 92". The Oklahoman. October 2, 2013. Retrieved 2023-09-25.
- ^ Gilmore, Joan (2020-08-08). "Around Town: So long. Great to know you. Keep smilin'". The Journal Record. Retrieved 2023-09-26.
- ^ "Joan Gilmore donates $30,000 for future hall of fame museum, scholarship", Oklahoma Journalism Hall of Fame.