March 11, 1952

 The first meeting of the Maine Press and Radio Women will be held in April with Miss Ruth Henderson of Augusta, social editor of the Daily Kennebec Journal, serving as chairman.  Miss Henderson will be assisted by women of the Augusta district, and the date and place of the meeting will be announced soon.
 Miss Frances Hapgood of Portland is serving as membership recruitment and Miss Charlotte Michaud of Lewiston , organizer and first president of the Lewiston-Auburn Press Radio Women, is organizational chairman.
 The April session will bring together for their first joint meeting all of the women writers for press and radio in the State of Maine.

March 10, 1952

 La première assemblée des Maine Press and Radio Women sera tenue en avril, avec comme chairman Mlle Ruth Henderson d'Augusta, éditeur social du Daily Kennebec Journal.  Mlle Henderson sera aidée par les membres de district d'Augusta, la date et l'endroit de la réunion seront annoncés bientôt.
 Mlle Fances Hapgood de Portland s'occupe de recruter de nouveaux membres , et Mlle Charlotte Michaud de Lewiston, organisatrice et première présidente de Press Radio Women de Lewiston-Auburn, est chairman de l'organisation.
 La réunion d'avril ressemblera pour la première fois toutes les femmes écrivians pour la presse et la radion de l'Etat du Maine.

March 15, 1952

 Miss Marion Cooper, Past Vice President of the Lewiston-Auburn Press Radio Women is serving on the committee of arrangements for the first meeting of the State organization which is expected to be held at Augusta April 12,  Miss Ruth Henderson, Social Editor of the Daily Kennebec Journal is general chairman of the meeting which will bring together for organizational purposes all of the women writers of Maine papers and radio stations.  Miss Cooper is director of publications for the Maine Department of Education.

March 20, 1952

 Miss Kathleen Cannell, a former writer for the New York Times will be the speaker at the luncheon and organizational meeting Maine Press-Radio Women, to be held at the Augusta House, Augusta, Saturday, April 12.  Announcement of this was made, Tuesday, by Miss Charlotte Michaud of Lewiston, general chairman of the meeting and former president of the Lewiston-Auburn Press-Radio Women.
 American-born, Miss Cannell was brought up in Paris and was doing editorial work there at the time of the German invasion in World War II.  She was taken prisoner and was one of the first Americans to be returned to this country on the Gripsholm.
 Prior to that time, Miss Cannell was a fashion editor for the New York Times and a former member of the editorial staff of the New Yorker magazine.  She now makes her home at Boston and was secured through the kindness of Mrs. Beryl C. Kimball, president of the New England Press Women's Association.
 The Lewiston-Auburn Press-Radio Women have been organized for three years and are sponsoring the Augusta session.
 Plans to form the State of Maine organization were made at Poland Spring last June when the L-A group entertained several New England Women's Press Association representatives.
 When NEWPA was founded in 1885 women writers were so few that a New England organization was sufficient.  NEWPA members at the June meeting favored the plans here and also decided it would be well to organize other States in New England as well.  Maine would be the first to do so and upon its own initiative.  Some of the Maine women already hold membership in the NEWPA.
 Miss Ruth Henderson, Augusta, is chairman of the local committee in charge of arrangements for the April 12 meeting in that city.  Others on that committee are:  Miss Ruth T. Clough, Bangor;  Miss Marion Cooper, Lewiston;  Miss Virginia McNamara, Gardiner;  Mrs. Christine H. Crandall; Hallowell and Mrs. Bertha T. Welch, Augusta.
 On the membership committee are:  Miss Frances Hapgood, Portland, chairman;  Mrs. Elizabeth Kilmire, Bangor;  Miss Marguerite Staples, Waterville;  Mrs. Welch, Augusta and Miss Anne Casavant, Biddeford.
 Maine Press-Radio Women are now functioning through an organization committee including Miss Alice Frost Lord, Dover-Foxcroft; Mrs. Agnes Gibbs, Portland, Miss Yvette Lacroix, Rumford; Mrs. Ruth Young, Augusta and Miss Michaud, chairman, Luncheon reservations should be made with Miss Ruth Henderson of Augusta.

March 21, 1952

 Les femmes ècrivains pour la presse et la radio qui se réuniront le 12 avril prochain à l'Augusta House d'Augusta auront, grâce à l'intervention de Mme Beryl P. Kimball de Boston président de la New England Women's Press Association le plaisir d'entendre Mlle Kathleen Cannell, éminente journaliste de Boston comme conférencière invitée.
 Mlle Cannell est américaine, mais elle a été élevée à Paris.  Lors de l'invasion de la France elle ètait rédactrice pour un des principaux journaux parisiens.  Elle fût l'une des premières américaines à revenir au pays, elle a été chroniqueuse de modes au New York Times et elle a fait partie du personnel de la rédaction pour la grande evue le New Yorker.
 Mme Kimball sera une invitée d'honneur de la réunion, elle accompagnera Mme Cannell.
 Mlle Ruth Henderson, rédactrice sociale au Kennebec Journal, d'Augusta, est en charge des arrangements.

April 4, 1952

 Officers of the New England Press Women's Association will be special guests at the organizational luncheon meeting of Maine press and radio women at 1 p.m. today in the Augusta House.  These include Mrs. Beryl Kimball, Boston; Mrs. Lila Hennessey, Lowell, and Mrs. Effie Flood King, president , vice-president, and parliamentarian, respectively.  Miss Kathleen Cannell, Boston public relations freelance writer, will be the speaker.  Miss Cannell who was in Paris during World War II and who was twice arrested by the Nazis before being returned to this country aboard the liner Gripsholm, will tell of her experiences during that time.
 Reservations include Mrs. Jean Murray Fallon, Bangor, Mrs. William Schrumpf, Orono, Mrs. Marion D. Whooley, Rangeley, Mrs. Helen L. Ripley, Damariscotta, Mrs. Blanche Applebee, Brunswick, Mrs.  Dean F. Chase, Millinocket, Mrs. Helen Batchelder Shute and Mrs. Lillian Pattee, both of Belfast, Miss Margaret Hanks, Presque Isle, Miss Emma M. Mahoney, Farmington, Mrs. Blanche W. Brown, Mrs. Grace Bush and Miss Alice Frost Lord, all of Dover-Foxcroft, Mrs. Marie Colby, and the Misses Mary Leo and Catherine Connolly, all of Brunswick, Mrs. John H. Daley, Mrs. Marion Hayden, Mrs. Esther Shaw, Mrs. Margaret Frazier, Mrs. Christine Crandall and Miss Virginia McNamara, all of Augusta. 
 Mrs. Bertha Welch, Mrs. Brooks Hamilton, Mrs. Jean Lahaye, Mrs. Catherine Rice Gallant, and the Misses Olga Lemke, Ruth Henderson, Ruth Clough and Ruth Hill, all of Augusta;  Mrs. Lawrence Ward and Mrs. Philip Rosenthal, both of Auburn, Mrs. Albert Rowebotham , Mrs. Agnes Lord, Mrs. Evelyn Wood, Mrs. Eleanor Stone, and the Misses Charlotte Michaud, Margaret Mitchell, Joan Park, Edith Thayer, Fernand Chorzempa and Carmen  Williams, all of Lewiston.
 From Greater Portland will be Mrs. Agnes Gibbs, Mrs. Mildred H. Kelley, Mrs. Cram Gill, Mrs. Jeannette Pomeroy, and the Misses Alicia Panages, Faye Marble, Dorothy Hamlin, and Frances Hapgood. 

Officers of the Maine Press and Radio Women, elected at its Saturday organizational meeting at the Augusta House, Augusta , were Miss Charlotte Michaud, Lewiston, president;  Miss Ruth Henderson, Augusta, vice president;  Mrs. William Whooley, Auburn and Rangeley, secretary;  Mrs. Agnes Gibbs, Portland, treasurer;  Miss Frances Hapgood, Portland, membership chairman.  The state group will be affiliated with the New England Women's Press Association and Mrs. Beryl Kimball, Boston, NEWPA president has extended to its members an invitation to attend the New England group's annual May breakfast at Boston on May 20. 

April 9, 1952

 Trois officiers de la New England Women's Press Association Inc., représeneront cette organisation à la première réunion annuelle des Maine Press and Radio Women qui doit se tenir à Augusta samedi.
 Ce seront Mme Baryl P. Kimball la présidente; Mme Lila Hennessey, vice-présidente et Mme Effie Flood King, parliamentarian.  Cetter dernière arrivera à Augusta vendredi, tandis que les deux autres accompagneront la conférencière, Mlle Kathleen Canell de Boston.  Les membres de l'organisation du Maine qui demeurent à Portland les réncontreront à cet endroit et ils se dirigeront vers Augusta par automobile.
 Mlle Cannell, qui a servi comme rédactrice des modes féminines du New York Times en France pendant 11 ans, racontera ses expériences pendant l'occupation nazie de Paris.  Ella sera présentée à l'auditoire par Mme Kimball.
 Pendant la session d'affaire qui suivra le diner, les membres de la presse et de la radio du Maine, formeront leur organisation adopteront des règlements, èliront des offciers et formulerot des plans pour l'année.
 Mlle Ruth Henderson de Lewiston est chairman du comité local chargé des arrangements.  Mlle Marion Cooper d'Auburn et Augusta est chairman de nomination.  Mlle Francis Hopgood de Portland aura chargé de l'enregistrement et Mlle Charlotte Michaud de Lewiston aura chargé de la session d'affaires.

April 14, 1952

 Miss Charlotte Michaud of Lewiston was elected president, Saturday, when more than 50 Maine women engaged in press, radio and public relations work formed an organization to be known as the Maine Press and Radio Women at a luncheon at the Augusta House, Augusta.
 Other officers elected were Miss Ruth Henderson of Augusta, vice-president; Mrs. Marion D Whooley of Auburn and Rangeley, secretary;  Mrs.. Agnes Gibbs of Portland, treasurer; and Miss Frances Hapgood of Portland, membership chairman.
 Mrs. Beryl Kimball of Boston, president of the New England Women's Press Association, brought greetings from the organization, commended the Maine branch on being the first to organize and expressed the hope that the other New England States would follow suit.  The Maine branch will be affiliated with the New England Association.
 Provision for the appointment of ten area representatives was included in a constitution and bylaws adopted by the group.  Several projects which the organization might sponsor were proposed, including the awarding of annual citations for outstanding work by press and radio women, the formation of study groups; and formation of an educational committee to aid young people desiring to enter press, radio or public relations work.
 Mrs. Kimball invited members to attend the New England Association's annual May breakfast at Boston, May 20, and the group received a communication from the Portland club extending use of its facilities to all members.
 Miss Kathleen Cannell, former Paris fashion editor  for the New York Times and the New Yorker magazine, recounted most interestingly her experiences in Paris when that city was taken over by the Germans.
 When the occupation was imminent and the Times staff began planning to leave the city, Miss Cannell elected to remain for a while longer and go to Biarritz with the Parisian dressmakers, with whom she worked closely, but her friends began to disappear, including the dressmakers, and soon it became impossible to leave.
 Thus from the window of her strategically located apartment, she saw the whole exodus of the French people and the entrance of the German Army.
 No harm came to the Americans left in Paris, said Miss Cannell, since it was declared an open city, although there was strict rationing of food and heat and no one but the Germans was allowed on the streets after 6 P.M.  For a while it was like living in a vacuum, she commented.
 When another Times representative arrived from Berlin, the Paris office was reopened; then he was recalled and Miss Cannell kept the office open with the help of one girl secretary.  Thus it was that she moved out of the fashion field, achieving  a long cherished ambition.
 The speaker had the unique experience of being the only woman to attend German press conferences with correspondents from 45 countries.
 Miss Cannell's account of being arrested by the Germans had many laughable aspects.  The arrest came at the end of a hard, tiring day, and Miss Cannell, knowing it was a mistake to show any sign of conciliation to the arresting trio, high-handedly refused to accompany them until she had eaten her supper.  Understandingly this type of treatment perfectly, the trio meekly waited and even helped her pack clothes and blankets for what proved to be a fairly brief questioning and over-night imprisonment.
 Quite a while afterward,  Miss Cannell learned that the arrest had been a mistake.  She had been listed merely as "Cannell" among the Times employees and the Germans were under the impression she was a man.
 Following her talk, the speaker was presented a Maine pack basket filled with Maine canned goods.

April 1952

 Numerous women of the Guy Gannett Newspapers and Radio Stations are members of the new Maine Press and Radio Women's organization.
 Miss Charlotte Michaud, Lewiston-Auburn representative of the Sunday Telegram, was elected president of the organization, an affiliate of the New England Woman's Press Association.
 More than 50 women associated with press, radio and public relations met at the Augusta House to organize the group April 13.
  Others elected were Miss Ruth Henderson, Augusta Kennebec Journal reporter, vice president;  Mrs. Marion D. Hooley, Rangeley, co-editor of the Rangeley Record, secretary;  Mrs. Agnes Gibbs, Radio Station WCSH, treasurer, and Miss Frances Hapgood, Press Herald society department, membership chairman.
 Miss Kathleen Cannell, Boston, former fashion editor of the New York Times, Paris edition, and the New Yorker staff, gave an account of her experiences when Paris was taken over by the Germans.
 Mrs. Beryl Kimball, Boston president of NEWPA, announced that the Maine branch was the first to organize and expressed the hope that other New England states would follow suit.
 Miss Henderson was mistress of ceremonies.  Miss Michaud conducted the business session.
 The place cards, depicting Miss Penstock and Miss Microphone, symbols of the press and radio women's professions, carried the design originated by Mrs. Christine Crandall of Hallowell.  Paul S. Plumer Jr., Hallowell, assisted in the design and Theodore Bunker of Augusta brought out the completed drawing.
 Serving on the local committee in charge of arrangements were:  Miss Ruth Henderson, general chairman; Miss Virginia McNamara, Mrs. Christine Crandall, Miss Ruth T. Clough, Mrs. Bertha T. Welch and Miss Marion Cooper.
 Miss Michaud heads the organizational committee.

This organization was the parent group for today's Maine Media Women.  These materials courtesy of the archives of the Maine Women Writers Library, Westbrook, Maine.  Typesetting by Bridget T. Robbins.