Frances Belford "Pinky" Wayne (June 17, 1870 – July 16, 1951) was an American journalist based in

Denver, Colorado Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

. She is remembered for her newspaper work, and for her leadership on establishing public lighting and other holiday decorations in the downtown, beginning in 1918.

Early life

Frances Belford was born in

La Porte, Indiana La Porte (French for "The Door") is a city in LaPorte County, Indiana, United States, of which it is the county seat. Its population was estimated to be 21,341 in 2022. It is one of the two principal cities of the Michigan City-La Porte, India ...

, the daughter of

James B. Belford James Burns Belford (September 28, 1837 – January 10, 1910) was an American politician and a U.S. Representative from Colorado. Biography Born in Lewistown, Pennsylvania, Belford was the son of Samuel and Eliza Belford and cousin of Joseph McCr ...

and Frances McEwen Belford. Her father was a judge and a congressman; her mother was a temperance activist and a trustee at two colleges. The family moved west to

Central City, Colorado The historic City of Central, commonly known as Central City, is a home rule municipality located in Gilpin and Clear Creek counties, Colorado, United States. Central City is the county seat and the most populous municipality of Gilpin County. ...

in 1874, when Frances was a girl.

Career

Frances Belford Wayne joined the ''Rocky Mountain News'' in 1906, as a drama and music critic. She became a features writer and investigative reporter. She worked for the ''

Denver Post ''The Denver Post'' is a daily newspaper and website published in Denver, Colorado. As of June 2022, it has an average print circulation of 57,265. In 2016, its website received roughly six million monthly unique visitors generating more than 13 ...

'' from 1909 to 1946. She reported from the Ludlow massacre, and wrote features about opium addiction, reproductive health, and immigration.Nancy Pike Hause
''The unsinkable Frances Wayne : an overview of her work as a reporter for the Denver Post from 1909 to 1946''
(M. A. thesis, 1982, Kansas State University. She worked with Emily Griffith for the establishment of a public technical school in Denver. She was a member of the Denver Women's Press Club; since 1940, the club has awarded a scholarship in her name. In 1918, Frances Wayne saw the possibilities of outdoor lighting decorations for Christmas, and started spotlighting colorful lighting displays in Denver. This developed into one of the largest urban holiday lighting displays in the United States. She also helped to found the

Myron Stratton Home Myron Stratton Home is located off Colorado Highway 115 (South Nevada Avenue) in Colorado Springs in El Paso County, Colorado. It was once a community for children and senior citizens, including a farm. It is now the site of several organizations th ...

for the Aged and Dependent Youth, and a state reformatory for boys."Woman Awarded Gold Medal by University"
''Fourth Estate'' (July 29, 1922): 13. In 1944, she persuaded the governor of Colorado to appoint scientist

Florence R. Sabin Florence Rena Sabin (November 9, 1871 – October 3, 1953) was an American medical scientist. She was a pioneer for women in science; she was the first woman to hold a full professorship at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, the first woman el ...

to a post-war planning commission.

Awards

In 1922, she was awarded a University Recognition gold medal from the

University of Colorado The University of Colorado (CU) is a system of public universities in Colorado. It consists of four institutions: University of Colorado Boulder, University of Colorado Colorado Springs, University of Colorado Denver, and the University of Co ...

for "ready and effective championship of sound efforts and movements for the public well being." Wayne was named "Woman of the Year" by the Business and Professional Women's Club of Denver in 1946.

Personal life

Frances Belford married John Anthony Wayne before 1906; they soon separated and divorced in 1908.''Colorado, Divorce Index, 1851–1985'' She died in Central City from cancer in 1951.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Wayne, Frances Belford 1870 births 1951 deaths Journalists from Colorado American women journalists People from Central City, Colorado 20th-century American journalists 20th-century American women