Joan Riddell Cook (January 5, 1922 to February 5, 1995"Joan R. Cook, 73, Reporter for Times". ''The New York Times'', February 6, 1995) was an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

newspaper A newspaper is a Periodical literature, periodical publication containing written News, information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as poli ...

journalist A journalist is a person who gathers information in the form of text, audio or pictures, processes it into a newsworthy form and disseminates it to the public. This is called journalism. Roles Journalists can work in broadcast, print, advertis ...

and

editor Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, visual, audible, or cinematic material used by a person or an entity to convey a message or information. The editing process can involve correction, condensation, organization, a ...

, a

trade union A trade union (British English) or labor union (American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers whose purpose is to maintain or improve the conditions of their employment, such as attaining better wages ...

leader, and a founding director of the Journalism and Women Symposium (JAWS).

Background

Joan Riddell Cook was a 1939 graduate of Marlborough School, a prestigious all-girls day and boarding school in the Hancock Park area of Los Angeles.

Career

Cook started her career at the ''

Minneapolis Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...

Star Tribune ''The Minnesota Star Tribune'', formerly the ''Minneapolis Star Tribune'', is an American daily newspaper based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. As of 2023, it is Minnesota's largest newspaper and the List of newspapers in the United States, seventh- ...

''. She later left and started working at the ''

New York Herald Tribune The ''New York Herald Tribune'' was a newspaper published between 1924 and 1966. It was created in 1924 when Ogden Mills Reid of the '' New York Tribune'' acquired the '' New York Herald''. It was regarded as a "writer's newspaper" and compet ...

''. Cook later worked for two years as women's editor at ''

The Detroit News ''The Detroit News'' is one of the two major newspapers in the U.S. city of Detroit, Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United S ...

''. Cook started working for ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' in 1959, where she worked until her retirement in 1991. She was one of seven named plaintiffs in a successful class action Title VII

sex discrimination Sexism is prejudice or discrimination based on one's sex or gender. Sexism can affect anyone, but primarily affects women and girls. It has been linked to gender roles and stereotypes, and may include the belief that one sex or gender is int ...

lawsuit A lawsuit is a proceeding by one or more parties (the plaintiff or claimant) against one or more parties (the defendant) in a civil court of law. The archaic term "suit in law" is found in only a small number of laws still in effect today ...

against the ''Times'' that was filed in 1974. Cook served as head of the ''Times'' unit of the

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

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labor union and was only the second woman ever elected to the post. Cook also served as

president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

of the Silurians, which is the oldest press club in New York. Cook first joined JAWS (Journalism and Women Symposium) in 1989 and became a member of the first

board of directors A board of directors is a governing body that supervises the activities of a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government agency. The powers, duties, and responsibilities of a board of directors are determined by government regulatio ...

Death

Cook died of

breast cancer Breast cancer is a cancer that develops from breast tissue. Signs of breast cancer may include a Breast lump, lump in the breast, a change in breast shape, dimpling of the skin, Milk-rejection sign, milk rejection, fluid coming from the nipp ...

in 1995 in

, aged 73.

Legacy

Cook appears by name in ''The Girls in the Balcony: Women, Men, and the New York Times'' by author

Nan C. Robertson Nan C. Robertson (July 11, 1926 – October 13, 2009) was an American journalist, author and instructor in journalism. Her awards included a Pulitzer Prize for Feature Writing. Five decades in journalism Born in Chicago, Illinois, Robertson atte ...

and ''A Place in the News: From the Women's Pages to the Front Page'' by Kay Mills.

Joan Cook Scholarship Fund

After her death, JAWS created the Joan Cook Scholarship Fund in her honor. It provides yearly grants to young women through JAWS.

References

External links

In Memory: Joan Cook
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cook, Joan Riddell 1922 births 1995 deaths Journalists from Portland, Oregon Star Tribune people New York Herald Tribune people The Detroit News people The New York Times editors American newspaper editors American trade union leaders Deaths from breast cancer in New York (state) American women newspaper editors 20th-century American women writers 20th-century American women journalists 20th-century American journalists