MRS OVETA CULP HOBBY

Press, Volume LXXXIX, Issue 26944, 21 January 1953, Page 2

MRS OVETA CULP HOBBY

U.S. Federal Security Administrator

CAREER IN LAW AND JOURNALISM

Mrs Oveta Culp Hobby is President Eisenhower’s choice to head the Federal Security Administration. Although the administrator of >this Federal agency does not at present have cabinet rank, the President wants Mrs Hobby to sit in on Cabinet meetings. Any list of “Who’s Who” among American women would be incomplete without the name of Oveta Culp Hobby. During her relatively short career she has distinguished herself in many widely separated fields. Now director and executive vicepresident of the “Houston Post,” one of the leading newspapers in her native state of Texas, she has combined the roles of wife, mother, newspaper executive, lawyer, parliamentarian, and United States Army officer. The wife of Mr William Pettus Hobby, publisher of the “Houston Post,” and a former Governor of Texas, this energetic mother of two children has devoted much of her life to public service. During World War II Mrs Hobby was appointed national director of the U.S. Women’s Army Corps with the rank of colonel. She was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal in 1945 for her war-time leadership of this corps of 150,000 American women.

Born in Killeen. Texas, on January 19, 1905, the daughter of Emma Hoover Culp and Isaac William Culp, she began helping her lawyer father at the age of 10 by reading to him from the “Congressional Record.” She completed her law studies at the University of Texas, and at 20 years of age toas serving as parliamentarian of the Texas Legislature and was Houston’s city attorney. When she married in 1931, Mrs Hobby took an immediate, active interest in her husband’s newspaper. Journalism replaced law as her first interest. Mrs Hobby served successively as research editor, literary editor and assistant editor of the "Houston Post” until she became its executive vice-president in 1938. Mrs Hobby has written a textbook on parliamentary law, entitled “Mr Chairman,” but her special interest has been the handling of women’s news. One of the first orders she gave after becoming executive vice-president was to add a woman’s editor to handle all women’s news on the “Houston Post.’’ Interest in Civic Affairs Mrs Hobby also took an active and varied interest in civic affairs. She also become a bank director and executive director of radio and television stations.

Mrs Hobby served as a member of the board of the 1950 International Press Institute Committee, American Society of Newspaper Editors, and the Hoover Committee for government economy. She was also a consultant to the 1948 Freedom of Information Conference in Geneva Switzerland. In 1950, Mrs Hobby was awarded the Texas Press Association’s plaque for outstanding service in the field of journalism. The honour medal for distinguished service in-journalism was also given to her in 1950 by the University of Missouri’s famed School of Journalism. She received the honorary degree of doctor of humane letters from Bard College in the same year. Politics has always been an interest of this vivacious Texas woman. Previously active in the Democratic Party, she switched to the support of President Eisenhower this year, and campaigned for him as a member of the Democrats for Eisenhower” group.

CURRENT NOTES

Mr Justice Finlay and Mrs Finlay (Auckland) will leave on Friday for Australia on the first stage of their journey to England. Mrs R. C. Jamieson (Leinster road) will leave New Zealand on February 14 by the Ruahine for a visit to Britain. She expects to be away from Christchurch for about a year.

Miss Sheila Sandstbn (Durham street north), who has been visiting England, returned to New Zealand this week by the Mataroa. and will arrive in Christchurch on Saturday. Miss Lois Holland, younger daughter of the Prime Minister (Mr Holland) and Mrs Holland, will leave on Satur- £ a y by the Rangitane for a six months’ holiday tour of Britain and Europe. Her father will see her off in Auckland.

Miss Clarice Johnstone, principal of Nelson Girls’ College, will leave New Zealand by the Rangitata on Saturday for a visit to Britain and Europe. She is at present staying with her mother in Dunedin.

Dr. Elizabeth White, whose husband. Mr Frederick White, was Professor of Physics at Canterbury University College before World War 11, is staying in Christchurch with Mrs G. E. Roth, Cashmere.

Miss Margaret McLachlan, of Leeston, returned to New Zealand on Monday by the Mataroa after completing a three-year physiotherapy course at the National Institute for the Blmd School in London. Miss McLachlan graduated B.A. in history and Greek at Auckland University College in 1948, and is the second blind woman graduate in New Zealand. Students from all parts of the British Empire, Miss McLachlan found, were taking the course at the institute school, which has its own hostel for students, and two New Zealand men completed their course last year. Men from St. Dunstan’s go for their training to the London school, which is the only school in the world which teaches the entire physiotherapy course, including electrical and remedial gymnastic work. For practical work the students visit'hospitals in the London area. Mrs G. E. Fisher, of Christchurch, accompanied by a son, Timothy, aged five and a half years, and a daughter, Kathryn, aged three and a half years, left Harewood by Skymaster yesterday to spend three months in Australia. In March she will attend the triennial convention of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Australia at Tarrington in Victoria. Mrs Fisher will spend most of her time at Adelaide where she will meet her parents, Mr and Mrs P. A. Meyer, of Perth. A former kindergarten teacher in Australia and now interested in kindergarten work in Christchurch, Mrs Fisher hopes to see something of kindergarten work in Australia. She will also study the work of women’s guilds in the city and suburbs of Adelaide.

An Esperantist on her first trip to New Zealand, Mrs D. M. Worcester, of London, arrived to visit members of the Esperanto Society in the Dominion. She is interested in Esperanto because of its international angle, and has attended seven conferences in different parts of Europe. Mrs Worcester was one of the founders of the English Women’s Bowling Association in 1931, and also of the Kent County Bowling Association. She is a former president of the Kent Association and was club champion in 1947. Mrs Worcester and her partner won the London County Council pairs competition in 1951 and 1952. She is also a member of the British Phrenological Society (Inc.), and of the Victoria League.

One of New Zealand’s composers. Miss Dorothea A. Franchi, returned to Auckland by the Mataroa on Monday after four and a half years’ study in England. During that time she gained the degree of bachelor of music (London), and studied the harp at the Royal College of Music, besides composing many instrumental works. While in England Miss Franchi won the 1950 Tertis Prize, awarded for an original work for the viola and sponsored by the Royal College of Music.

Crowds of customers all last week were thrilled at the genuine bargains they purchased at the big Summer Sale of Fashions at Anthony Andersen, Ltd., 81 Cashel street. Everything is being cleared in this one genuine Summer Sale of the year and whatever you buy is good, well worth buying and whilst the price reductions are really substantial such as pretty and practical gay floral silk frocks, size S.S.W. to 0.5., and priced from 39/6 to £5/10/6. Silk Edge-to-Edge Coats prettily pin-tucked—few only now in W. to O.S. and all priced to clear at 79/6. Be in this week whilst the Sale of the Season lasts. —Advt.