Maxine Mesinger, born Maxine Ethel David (December 19, 1925 - January 19, 2001Pugh, Clifford. (). ''

Houston Chronicle The ''Houston Chronicle'' is the largest daily newspaper in Houston, Texas, United States. , it is the third-largest newspaper by Sunday circulation in the United States, behind only ''The New York Times'' and the ''Los Angeles Times''. With i ...

'' at the ''

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''. Friday January 19, 2011. Retrieved on November 20, 2011.) was a celebrity gossip columnist of the ''

'' who was active between 1965 and 2000. Her works were published in the "Big City Beat," her social column. She had the nickname "Miss Moonlight".Maxine Mesinger Papers, 1965-2001
"

University of Houston The University of Houston (UH) is a public research university in Houston, Texas. Founded in 1927, UH is a member of the University of Houston System and the university in Texas with over 47,000 students. Its campus, which is primarily in s ...

. Retrieved on November 20, 2011. Clifford Pugh of the ''Houston Chronicle'' said that she "wrote about big names for half of the 20th century and became a celebrity in her own right". Lisa Gray of the ''

Houston Press The ''Houston Press'' is an online newspaper published in Houston, Texas, United States. It is headquartered in the Midtown area. It was also a weekly print newspaper until November 2017. The publication is supported entirely by advertising ...

'' said that Mesinger "wrote in the swingin' lingo of '40s showbiz".

Life

She was born in 1925 to Julian "Drake" David and Ella David. She graduated from San Jacinto High School, and went on to study at

Texas Woman's University Texas Woman's University (TWU) is a public coeducational university in Denton, Texas, with two health science center-focused campuses in Dallas and Houston. While TWU has been fully co-educational since 1994, it is the largest state-supported u ...

Indiana University Bloomington Indiana University Bloomington (IU Bloomington, Indiana University, IU, or simply Indiana) is a public research university in Bloomington, Indiana. It is the flagship campus of Indiana University and, with over 40,000 students, its largest ca ...

, and the

. In 1944 she married Emil Mesinger, with whom she had two children, Julianne and Jay. Mesinger had a career in television, including two celebrity-oriented shows which she hosted in the 1950s, on a television station operated by the University of Houston. In 1964 the ''Houston Chronicle'' hired her as a columnist. For a period she and her family lived at the

Shamrock Hotel The Shamrock was a hotel constructed between 1946 and 1949 by wildcatter Glenn McCarthy southwest of downtown Houston, Texas next to the Texas Medical Center. It was the largest hotel built in the United States during the 1940s. The grand openi ...

.Feldman, Claudia.
Auction set for Chron columnist Mesinger's mementoes

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. ''

''. October 8, 2013. Retrieved on October 9, 2013. "In the midst of those glory days, the Mesinger family lived at the old Shamrock Hilton Hotel, ..

Death and legacy

Mesinger was afflicted by multiple sclerosis. On Friday January 19, 2001, at

The Methodist Hospital Houston Methodist Hospital is the flagship quaternary care hospital of Houston Methodist academic medical center. Located in the Texas Medical Center in Houston, Texas, Houston Methodist Hospital was established in 1919 during the height of the ...

, Mesinger died from complications of multiple sclerosis, at the age 75. On September 9, 2003, the Maxine Mesinger Multiple Sclerosis Clinic at

Baylor College of Medicine Baylor College of Medicine (BCM) is a medical school and research center in Houston, Texas, within the Texas Medical Center, the world's largest medical center. BCM is composed of four academic components: the School of Medicine, the Graduate S ...

and The Methodist Hospital opened. Her husband Emil continued living in their house near

River Oaks River Oaks is a residential community located in the center of Houston, Texas, United States. Located within the 610 Loop and between Downtown and Uptown, the community spans .Archive Established in the 1920s by brothers Will Hogg and Michael H ...

. Mesinger had amassed a collection of antiques, fine art, mementos, and photographs of Hollywood actors and actresses from the second half of the 20th century. This collection was called the "Maxine Mesinger Memorial Museum" by her family. Emil and his children could not decide how to dispose of the collection before Emil's death in June 2013, after which the two children announced an auction of the collection to be held on October 26, 2013, at Morton Auctioneers and Appraisers. The auctioneer was Colette Clift Mayers, vice-president of the firm.Feldman, Claudia.
Mesinger treasures sold to the highest bidders

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''. October 26, 2013. Retrieved on May 5, 2015. The Mesinger Sclerosis Clinic was to receive a portion of the proceeds.

References

External links

*. ''

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Maxine Mesinger Papers, 1965-2001
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. {{DEFAULTSORT:Mesinger, Maxine Houston Chronicle people 2001 deaths 1925 births San Jacinto High School alumni Texas Woman's University alumni Indiana University Bloomington alumni University of Houston alumni