Frances Belford Wayne | |
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![]() Photo in a 1922 issue ofThe Fourth Estate | |
Born | Frances Belford (1870-06-17)June 17, 1870 |
Died | July 16, 1951(1951-07-16) (aged 81) |
Occupation | Journalist |
Parents |
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Frances Belford "Pinky"Wayne (June 17, 1870 – July 16, 1951) was an American journalist based inDenver, Colorado. 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.[1]
Frances Belford was born inLa Porte, Indiana on June 17, 1870, the daughter ofJames B. Belford andFrances McEwen Belford.[2] Her father was a judge and a congressman and her mother was a temperance activist and a trustee at two colleges.[3] The family moved west toCentral City, Colorado in 1874, when Frances was a girl.[4]
Frances Belford Wayne joined theRocky Mountain News in 1906, as a drama and music critic. She became a features writer and investigative reporter. She worked for theDenver Post from 1909 to 1946. She reported from theLudlow massacre, and wrote features about opium addiction, reproductive health, and immigration.[5] She worked with Emily Griffith for the establishment ofa public technical school in Denver.[6] She was a member of the Denver Women's Press Club;[7] since 1940, the club has awarded a scholarship in her name.[8]
In 1918, Frances Wayne saw the possibilities of outdoor lighting decorations for Christmas, and started spotlighting colorful lighting displays in Denver.[9] This developed into one of the largest urban holiday lighting displays in the United States.[5][10] She also helped to found theMyron Stratton Home for the Aged and Dependent Youth, and a state reformatory for boys.[11] In 1944, she persuaded the governor of Colorado to appoint scientistFlorence R. Sabin to a post-war planning commission.[12]
In 1922, she was awarded a University Recognition gold medal from theUniversity of Colorado for "ready and effective championship of sound efforts and movements for the public well being."[11][13] Wayne was named "Woman of the Year" by the Business and Professional Women's Club of Denver in 1946.
Frances Belford married John Anthony Wayne before 1906; they soon separated and divorced in 1908.[14] She died in Central City from cancer on July 16, 1951.[1][5]