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2018 SESSION

18103063D
SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 199
Offered February 27, 2018
Celebrating the life of Louise Ann Hutchinson.
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Patron-- Mason
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WHEREAS, Louise Ann Hutchinson, a Williamsburg resident who broke down barriers as an adventurous news reporter with the Chicago Tribune, died on March 29, 2017; and

WHEREAS, born and raised in Chicago, Louise Hutchinson attended Schurz High School and then studied at Blackburn College in Illinois before earning a bachelor’s degree from the University of Iowa; and

WHEREAS, Louise Hutchinson began her journalism career at radio stations in Illinois and Washington, D.C.; after a stint at a weekly newspaper in northwest Chicago, she joined the Chicago Tribune as a reporter in 1952; and

WHEREAS, Louise Hutchinson initially covered the neighborhood news beat for the Chicago Tribune, but her exceptional interviewing and reporting skills soon saw her promoted to more high-profile stories; she wrote about Jacqueline Kennedy in the wake of President John F. Kennedy’s assassination, covered eight national political conventions, and followed President Richard Nixon on his 1972 trip to Moscow; and

WHEREAS, during an era when women reporters were often confined to light news and local coverage, Louise Hutchinson sought out stories that took her on adventures around the globe; for a 1967 report, she dove to the bottom of the ocean in a United States Navy submersible; in 1971, she traveled to Antarctica to cover its scientific research community, and while there, became the first woman in history to spend a night at the South Pole; and

WHEREAS, Louise Hutchinson received numerous awards and professional honors during her reporting career, including the Chicago Tribune’s Edward Scott Beck Award, an Associated Press award, and an honorary doctorate from Blackburn College; between 1970 and 1971, she was president of the Women’s National Press Club, which renamed itself the Washington Press Club during her tenure; and

WHEREAS, Louise Hutchinson spent 22 years as a Chicago Tribune reporter before leaving the paper in 1973; she then worked as a public information officer for the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division and as press secretary to U.S. Congressman Robert McClory; and

WHEREAS, in her later career, Louise Hutchinson worked for a variety of nonprofit foundations; between 1985 and 1991, she served as director of public information for the National Association of Children’s Hospitals in Alexandria; and

WHEREAS, after settling in Williamsburg in 1993, Louise Hutchinson remained active in several civic organizations, including the League of Women Voters; and

WHEREAS, Louise Hutchinson will be fondly remembered and greatly missed by numerous family members, friends, and former colleagues; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the Senate, the House of Delegates concurring, That the General Assembly hereby note with great sadness the loss of Louise Ann Hutchinson, a talented and pioneering journalist; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the Senate prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the family of Louise Ann Hutchinson as an expression of the General Assembly’s respect for her memory.