Ruth Ashton Taylor: Difference between revisions

Ruth Ashton Taylor
Ruth Ashton Taylor
Born	Ruth Arlene Montoya; April 20, 1922; Long Beach, California, U.S.
Died	January 11, 2024 (aged 101); San Rafael, California, U.S.
Bildung	Columbia University
Occupation	Television journalist
Spouse(s)	Edwin Wright Conklin (m. 1949-1960; divorced); Jack Elmer Taylor (m. 1968)
Children	2

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Ruth Ashton Taylor (April 20, 1922 – January 11, 2024) was an American television and radio newscaster, with a career in broadcasting that spanned over 50 years. She was the first female newscaster on television in Los Angeles and the West Coast. She received many awards and honors, including a Lifetime Achievement Emmy Award and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Early life and education

Ruth Arlene Montoya was born on April 20, 1922 in Long Beach, California. Her mother, Flora Ashton, opened Sis Ashton's Cafe in Signal Hill, California, after her husband, Ruth's father, Julian Montoya, abandoned the family in 1926. Young Ruth soon took the Ashton surname as her own.^[1]^[2] She graduated in 1939 from Long Beach Polytechnic High School^[3] and completed her undergraduate degree at Scripps College. She relocated to New York City thereafter, receiving a master's degree in journalism from Columbia University in 1944.^[4]

Career

Following her graduation, she took a job as a news writer at CBS radio, taking a place among the original members of the documentary unit of Edward R. Murrow.^[4]^[5]

When she first began as a writer and producer there, she had no thoughts of going on air as, to her knowledge, it simply wasn't done in major news markets.^[6] According to Ashton, CBS management didn't want to broadcast women because they "just didn't like those squeaky voices".^[4]^[7] However, by 1949, she was on the air, interviewing such notable individuals as Albert Einstein.^[8] Eventually, she was transferred to a religious program, and, disappointed by her exclusion from news broadcasting, she left CBS radio in New York and returned to Los Angeles.^[1]

In 1951, she became the first woman on television news on the West Coast of the United States when she took a job with Los Angeles' KNXT-TV (now KCBS).^[4] Although originally hired to cover the "Women's Angle", she indicated in interviews that the lack of conventional roles for women in broadcasting had given her considerable freedom in the stories she selected to cover.^[8]

In 1958, she left briefly to work as a public information officer at a college before returning in 1962. She officially retired in 1989, but continued occasionally contributing into her 70s. As a news reporter and program host,^[4] she became an influential figure on subsequent female journalists, with numerous industry awards and a career that included notable interviews with such diverse people as Jimmy Carter and Jimmy Durante.^[8]

Later life and death

Ashton Taylor turned 100 on April 20, 2022,^[9] and died in San Rafael, California, on January 11, 2024, at the age of 101. Survivors included her two daughters from her first marriage; her stepson; her grandson and granddaughter-in-law; and her great-grandson.^[10]

Honors and awards

During her time in broadcasting, Ashton Taylor became a widely known and celebrated figure. In 1983, The Los Angeles Times indicated that she had a reputation as "one of the best newspeople in television".^[7] A 2007 article in the Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media described her as "one of the most recognizable people on radio and television in Los Angeles".^[6]

Ashton Taylor received a Star in the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1990.^[11]

Other notable honors include a Governors Award for Lifetime Achievement bestowed by the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences and a Diamond Achievement Award from Women in Communications (1984).^[4]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c Sandomir, Richard (January 27, 2024). "Ruth Ashton Taylor, Early Radio and TV Newswoman, Dies at 101". The New York Times.
^ "Ruth Ashton Taylor - Hollywood Star Walk". Los Angeles Times.
^ "Famous students from Poly High School". Press-Telegram. August 6, 1995. Retrieved September 8, 2008.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Biagi, Shirley (August 19, 1992). "Ruth Ashton Taylor introduction". Washington Press Club Foundation. Retrieved September 3, 2008.
^ "Not the retiring kind: if Ruth Ashton Taylor has quit, it's news". Daily News of Los Angeles. June 28, 1989. Retrieved September 8, 2009.
^ ^a ^b Conway, Mike (September 2007). "A guest in our living room: the television newscaster before the rise of the dominant anchor". Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media. Retrieved September 8, 2008.^{[dead link]}
^ ^a ^b Cohen, Jerry (May 7, 1983). "Growing older in America". Los Angeles Times. pp. A1–A2. Archived from the original on May 25, 2011. Retrieved September 8, 2008.
^ ^a ^b ^c Magers, Paul (March 13, 2008). "Whatever happened to Ruth Ashton Taylor". cbs2.com. Archived from the original on March 15, 2008. Retrieved September 8, 2008.
^ "Bay Area woman who broke ground in TV news turns 100". The Mercury News. April 22, 2022. Retrieved April 30, 2022.
^ "Ruth Ashton Taylor, Pioneering Female Newscaster and Reporter, Dies at 101". The Hollywood Reporter. January 12, 2024. Retrieved January 12, 2024.
^ "TV Journalist reluctantly becomes a Hollywood Star". Daily News of Los Angeles. December 11, 1990. Retrieved September 8, 2008.

External links

2008 interview, CBS
Ruth Ashton Taylor interviews Governor of California George Deukmejian on KCBS Los Angeles, 1990

[nyt-obit-1] Sandomir, Richard (January 27, 2024). "Ruth Ashton Taylor, Early Radio and TV Newswoman, Dies at 101". The New York Times.

[2] "Ruth Ashton Taylor - Hollywood Star Walk". Los Angeles Times.

[3] "Famous students from Poly High School". Press-Telegram. August 6, 1995. Retrieved September 8, 2008.

[Intro-4] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Biagi, Shirley (August 19, 1992). "Ruth Ashton Taylor introduction". Washington Press Club Foundation. Retrieved September 3, 2008.

[5] "Not the retiring kind: if Ruth Ashton Taylor has quit, it's news". Daily News of Los Angeles. June 28, 1989. Retrieved September 8, 2009.

[Guest-6] Conway, Mike (September 2007). "A guest in our living room: the television newscaster before the rise of the dominant anchor". Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media. Retrieved September 8, 2008.^{[dead link]}

[Old-7] Cohen, Jerry (May 7, 1983). "Growing older in America". Los Angeles Times. pp. A1–A2. Archived from the original on May 25, 2011. Retrieved September 8, 2008.

[Interview-8] Magers, Paul (March 13, 2008). "Whatever happened to Ruth Ashton Taylor". cbs2.com. Archived from the original on March 15, 2008. Retrieved September 8, 2008.

[9] "Bay Area woman who broke ground in TV news turns 100". The Mercury News. April 22, 2022. Retrieved April 30, 2022.

[10] "Ruth Ashton Taylor, Pioneering Female Newscaster and Reporter, Dies at 101". The Hollywood Reporter. January 12, 2024. Retrieved January 12, 2024.

[11] "TV Journalist reluctantly becomes a Hollywood Star". Daily News of Los Angeles. December 11, 1990. Retrieved September 8, 2008.

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@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+{{Short description|American television journalist (1922–2024)}}
+{{use mdy dates|date=February 2024}}
 {{Infobox person
 | name        = Ruth Ashton Taylor
 | image       =
 | caption     =
+| birthname   = Ruth Arlene Montoya<ref name=nyt-obit>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/22/business/media/ruth-ashton-taylor-dead.html |title=Ruth Ashton Taylor, Early Radio and TV Newswoman, Dies at 101 |newspaper=The New York Times |first=Richard |last=Sandomir |date=January 27, 2024}}</ref>
-| birthname   = Ruth Ashton
+| birth_date  = {{birth date|1922|4|20}}
-| birth_date  = April 20, 1922<ref>{{cite web|url=http://projects.latimes.com/hollywood/star-walk/ruth-ashton-taylor|title=Ruth Ashton Taylor - Hollywood Star Walk - Los Angeles Times|website=projects.latimes.com}}</ref>
 | birth_place = [[Long Beach, California]], U.S.
-| death_date  =
+| death_date  = {{death date and age|2024|1|11|1922|4|20}}
-| death_place =
+| death_place = [[San Rafael, California]], U.S.
 | education   = [[Columbia University]]
 | occupation  = Television journalist
-| spouse      = Jack Taylor}}
+| spouse      = Edwin Wright Conklin (m. 1949-1960; divorced)<br>Jack Elmer Taylor (m. 1968)
+| children    = 2
+}}
+'''Ruth Ashton Taylor''' (April 20, 1922 – January 11, 2024) was an American television and radio newscaster, with a career in broadcasting that spanned over 50 years. She was the first female newscaster on television in Los Angeles and the [[West Coast of the United States|West Coast]]. She received many awards and honors, including a Lifetime Achievement [[Emmy Award]] and a star on the [[Hollywood Walk of Fame]].
+==Early life and education==
-'''Ruth Ashton Taylor''' (born April 20, 1922) is a retired [[United States|American]] [[television]] and [[radio]] [[news presenter|newscaster]], with a career in broadcasting that spanned over 50 years. She was the first female newscaster on television in [[Los Angeles]] and the [[West Coast of the United States|West Coast]]. She has received many awards and honors, including a Lifetime Achievement [[Emmy Award]] and a star on the [[Hollywood Walk of Fame]].
+Ruth Arlene Montoya was born on April 20, 1922 in [[Long Beach, California]]. Her mother, Flora Ashton, opened Sis Ashton's Cafe in [[Signal Hill, California]], after her husband, Ruth's father, Julian Montoya, abandoned the family in 1926. Young Ruth soon took the Ashton surname as her own.<ref name=nyt-obit/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://projects.latimes.com/hollywood/star-walk/ruth-ashton-taylor|title=Ruth Ashton Taylor - Hollywood Star Walk|work=Los Angeles Times}}</ref> She graduated in 1939 from [[Long Beach Polytechnic High School]]<ref>{{cite news|title=Famous students from Poly High School|url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=LB&p_theme=lb&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EAE9059ADE70EAD&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM|date=1995-08-06|work=Press-Telegram|accessdate=2008-09-08}}</ref> and completed her undergraduate degree at [[Scripps College]]. She relocated to New York City thereafter, receiving a [[master's degree]] in [[journalism]] from [[Columbia University]] in 1944.<ref name="Intro">{{Cite web|url=http://beta.wpcf.org/oralhistory/tayint.html|title=Ruth Ashton Taylor introduction|last=Biagi|first=Shirley|date=1992-08-19|website=Washington Press Club Foundation|access-date=2008-09-03}}</ref>
-==Biography==
-A native of Los Angeles, Ruth Ashton graduated in 1939 from [[Long Beach Polytechnic High School]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Famous students from Poly High School|url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=LB&p_theme=lb&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EAE9059ADE70EAD&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM|date=1995-08-06|work=Press-Telegram|accessdate=2008-09-08}}</ref> Taylor completed her undergraduate degree at [[Scripps College]]. She relocated to [[New York City]] thereafter, receiving a [[master's degree]] in [[journalism]] from [[Columbia University]] in 1944.<ref name="Intro">Biagi, Shirley. (1992-08-19) [http://wpcf.org/oralhistory/tayint.html Ruth Ashton Taylor introduction] Washington Press Club Foundation. Retrieved 2008-09-03.  {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081201130002/http://wpcf.org/oralhistory/tayint.html |date=December 1, 2008 }}</ref>
+==Career==
 Following her graduation, she took a job as a news writer at [[CBS]] radio, taking a place among the original members of the documentary unit of [[Edward R. Murrow]].<ref name="Intro"/><ref>{{cite news|title=Not the retiring kind: if Ruth Ashton Taylor has quit, it's news|work=Daily News of Los Angeles|date=1989-06-28|url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=LA&p_theme=la&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EF51EF72F09F9DC&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM|accessdate=2009-09-08}}</ref>
-When she first began as a writer and producer there, she had no thoughts of going on air as, to her knowledge, it simply wasn't done in major news markets.<ref name="Guest">{{cite news|first=Mike|last=Conway|title=A guest in our living room: the television newscaster before the rise of the dominant anchor|work=Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media|date=Sep 2007|accessdate=2008-09-08|url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m6836/is_3_51/ai_n25012579/pg_12}}{{dead link|date=February 2018}}</ref> According to Ashton, CBS management didn't want to broadcast women because they "just didn't like those squeaky voices".<ref name="Intro"/><ref name="Old"/> However, by 1949, she was on the air, interviewing such notable individuals as [[Albert Einstein]].<ref name="Interview"/> Eventually, she was transferred to a religious program, and, disappointed by her exclusion from news broadcasting, she left CBS radio in New York and returned to Los Angeles.
+When she first began as a writer and producer there, she had no thoughts of going on air as, to her knowledge, it simply wasn't done in major news markets.<ref name="Guest">{{cite news|first=Mike|last=Conway|title=A guest in our living room: the television newscaster before the rise of the dominant anchor|work=Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media|date=Sep 2007|accessdate=2008-09-08|url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m6836/is_3_51/ai_n25012579/pg_12}}{{dead link|date=February 2018}}</ref> According to Ashton, CBS management didn't want to broadcast women because they "just didn't like those squeaky voices".<ref name="Intro"/><ref name="Old"/> However, by 1949, she was on the air, interviewing such notable individuals as [[Albert Einstein]].<ref name="Interview"/> Eventually, she was transferred to a religious program, and, disappointed by her exclusion from news broadcasting, she left CBS radio in New York and returned to Los Angeles.<ref name=nyt-obit/>
-In 1951, she became the first woman in Los Angeles or on the [[West Coast of the United States|West Coast]] on television news when she took a job with LA's KNXT-TV (now [[KCBS-TV|KCBS]]).<ref name="Intro"/> Although originally hired to cover the "Women's Angle", she has indicated in interviews that the lack of conventional roles for women in broadcasting gave her considerable freedom in the stories she selected to cover.<ref name="Interview">{{cite news|last=Magers|first=Paul|date=2008-03-13|url=http://cbs2.com/local/Ruth.Ashton.Taylor.2.674219.html|title=Whatever happened to Ruth Ashton Taylor|publisher=cbs2.com|accessdate=2008-09-08|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080315005147/http://cbs2.com/local/Ruth.Ashton.Taylor.2.674219.html|archivedate=2008-03-15}}</ref> In 1958, she left briefly to work as a public information officer at a college before returning in 1962. She officially retired in 1989, but continued occasionally contributing into her 70s. As a news reporter and program host,<ref name="Intro"/> she became an influential figure on subsequent female journalists, with numerous industry awards and a career that included notable interviews with such diverse people as [[Jimmy Carter]] and [[Jimmy Durante]].<ref name="Interview"/>
+In 1951, she became the first woman on television news on the [[West Coast of the United States]] when she took a job with Los Angeles' KNXT-TV (now [[KCBS-TV|KCBS]]).<ref name="Intro"/> Although originally hired to cover the "Women's Angle", she indicated in interviews that the lack of conventional roles for women in broadcasting had given her considerable freedom in the stories she selected to cover.<ref name="Interview">{{cite news|last1=Magers|first1=Paul|date=2008-03-13|url=http://cbs2.com/local/Ruth.Ashton.Taylor.2.674219.html|title=Whatever happened to Ruth Ashton Taylor|publisher=cbs2.com|accessdate=2008-09-08|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080315005147/http://cbs2.com/local/Ruth.Ashton.Taylor.2.674219.html|archivedate=2008-03-15}}</ref>
+In 1958, she left briefly to work as a public information officer at a college before returning in 1962. She officially retired in 1989, but continued occasionally contributing into her 70s. As a news reporter and program host,<ref name="Intro"/> she became an influential figure on subsequent female journalists, with numerous industry awards and a career that included notable interviews with such diverse people as [[Jimmy Carter]] and [[Jimmy Durante]].<ref name="Interview"/>
-During her time in broadcasting, Ashton Taylor became a widely known and celebrated figure. In 1983, ''[[The Los Angeles Times]]'' indicated that she had a reputation as "one of the best newspeople in television".<ref name="Old">{{cite news|first=Jerry|last=Cohen|date=1983-05-07|title=Growing older in America|work=Los Angeles Times|url=https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/671814192.html?dids=671814192:671814192&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:AI&date=May+07%2C+1983&author=JERRY+COHEN&pub=Los+Angeles+Times&desc=Growing+Older+in+America&pqatl=google|pages=A1–A2|accessdate=2008-09-08}}</ref> A 2007 article in the ''Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media'' described her as "one of the most recognizable people on radio and television in Los Angeles"<ref name="Guest"/>
+==Later life and death==
-She received a Star in the [[Hollywood Walk of Fame]] in 1990.<ref>{{cite news|title=TV Journalist reluctantly becomes a Hollywood Star|work=Daily News of Los Angeles|date=1990-12-11|url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=LA&p_theme=la&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EF6113DB2435541&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM|accessdate=2008-09-08}}</ref>
+Ashton Taylor [[Centenarian|turned 100]] on April 20, 2022,<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-04-22 |title=Bay Area woman who broke ground in TV news turns 100 |url=https://www.mercurynews.com/2022/04/22/marin-resident-who-broke-ground-in-tv-news-turns-100 |access-date=2022-04-30 |website=The Mercury News |language=en-US}}</ref> and died in [[San Rafael, California]], on January 11, 2024, at the age of 101. Survivors included her two daughters from her first marriage; her stepson; her grandson and granddaughter-in-law; and her great-grandson.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/ruth-ashton-taylor-dead-pioneering-female-newscaster-1235787124/|title=Ruth Ashton Taylor, Pioneering Female Newscaster and Reporter, Dies at 101|website=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]|date=January 12, 2024|access-date=January 12, 2024}}</ref>
+==Honors and awards==
+During her time in broadcasting, Ashton Taylor became a widely known and celebrated figure. In 1983, ''[[The Los Angeles Times]]'' indicated that she had a reputation as "one of the best newspeople in television".<ref name="Old">{{cite news|first=Jerry|last=Cohen|date=1983-05-07|title=Growing older in America|work=Los Angeles Times|url=https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/671814192.html?dids=671814192:671814192&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:AI&date=May+07%2C+1983&author=JERRY+COHEN&pub=Los+Angeles+Times&desc=Growing+Older+in+America&pqatl=google|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110525045510/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/671814192.html?dids=671814192:671814192&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:AI&date=May+07,+1983&author=JERRY+COHEN&pub=Los+Angeles+Times&desc=Growing+Older+in+America&pqatl=google|url-status=dead|archive-date=May 25, 2011|pages=A1–A2|accessdate=2008-09-08}}</ref> A 2007 article in the ''Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media'' described her as "one of the most recognizable people on radio and television in Los Angeles".<ref name="Guest"/>
+Ashton Taylor received a Star in the [[Hollywood Walk of Fame]] in 1990.<ref>{{cite news|title=TV Journalist reluctantly becomes a Hollywood Star|work=Daily News of Los Angeles|date=1990-12-11|url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=LA&p_theme=la&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EF6113DB2435541&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM|accessdate=2008-09-08}}</ref>
 Other notable honors include a [[Emmy Award|Governors Award for Lifetime Achievement]] bestowed by the [[Academy of Television Arts and Sciences]] and a Diamond Achievement Award from [[Women in Communications]] (1984).<ref name="Intro"/>
@@ Line 34: / Line 44: @@
 ==External links==
 *[https://web.archive.org/web/20080315005147/http://cbs2.com/local/Ruth.Ashton.Taylor.2.674219.html 2008 interview], CBS
+*[https://californiarevealed.org/islandora/object/cavpp%3A174395 Ruth Ashton Taylor interviews] Governor of California [[George Deukmejian]] on KCBS Los Angeles, 1990
 {{authority control}}
 {{DEFAULTSORT:Taylor, Ruth Ashton}}
+[[Category:1922 births]]
+[[Category:2024 deaths]]
 [[Category:American television journalists]]
 [[Category:American women television journalists]]
+[[Category:American women centenarians]]
 [[Category:Radio personalities from Los Angeles]]
-[[Category:Living people]]
-[[Category:1922 births]]
 [[Category:Scripps College alumni]]
+[[Category:Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism alumni]]