Agness Underwood facts for kids

Agness May Underwood (born December 17, 1902 – died July 3, 1984) was an amazing American journalist and newspaper editor. She was one of the first women in the United States to become a city editor for a major newspaper. A city editor is like the boss of all the reporters who cover local news in a big city. Before Agness, Laura Vitray became a city editor in New York in 1930. Mary Holland Kinkaid was also a city editor in Los Angeles much earlier. Agness worked as a reporter for the Los Angeles Record from 1928 to 1935. Later, she worked for the Herald-Express and the Herald-Examiner until 1968.

Early Life and Career Beginnings

Agnes May Wilson was born in San Francisco, California. Her father, Clifford Wilson, worked with glass, and her mother, Mamie Sullivan Wilson, was a homemaker. In 1920, Agness decided to spell her first name with a double "s" at the end. She was the older of two sisters. Her family moved often because her father looked for work.

Sadly, in 1907, her mother passed away. Her father traveled for work, so he couldn't take care of the girls. Agness and her younger sister went to live with relatives in Terre Haute, Indiana. Agness remembered moving a lot and sometimes needing help from charities.

Her father was worried about how his daughters were being treated. He found two foster homes in Portland, Indiana, one for each girl. Agness lived with Charles and Belle Ewry and their three sons. She quickly became friends with Ralph, the oldest son, who was very kind to her.

Agness was a bright student and skipped three grades. But by high school in 1916, she wasn't as interested in school and left in tenth grade. She got a job as a clerk in a department store. She wasn't happy living with the Ewrys, especially after Ralph went to fight in World War I. Ralph helped her find a distant relative in San Francisco, thinking she would be happier there.

In November 1918, Agness arrived in San Francisco. She moved in with her relative, but after a few days of looking for a job, she came home to find her relative had moved out. Agness was alone, broke, and had no place to live.

Another relative invited her to move to Hollywood, California. This relative wanted Agness to become a child movie star. When that didn't work out, Agness was again left without a home.

Agness found a place to stay at the Salvation Army's home for working women in Los Angeles. She got a job at the Broadway Department Store. There, she met Evelyn Conners, who became her best friend for life.

After a short time in Salt Lake City, Utah, Agness returned to Los Angeles. She worked as a waitress at the Pig 'n Whistle restaurant. She married Harry Underwood, a co-worker, on April 28, 1920.

By 1926, Agness and Harry had a daughter and a son. Even with Agness's husband and sister working, it was hard to make enough money. One day, Agness asked her husband for money to buy new stockings, but he said no. They had an argument, and Agness told him she would get a job and earn the money herself.

In her book, Newspaperwoman (1949), Agness said she didn't want to work outside the home and didn't know where to look. But a job found her! The day after the argument, her friend Evelyn Conners called. Evelyn asked if Agness wanted a temporary job at the Record newspaper, working the switchboard. Agness took the chance, and that's how her amazing newspaper career began.

Learning the Ropes at the Los Angeles Record

In October 1926, Agness started her job as the switchboard operator at the Los Angeles Record. This was a great place for her to learn everything about the newspaper business. She was a fast learner and worked hard at every task. She helped Gertrude Price, a writer, with a Christmas program for people in need. Gertrude saw Agness's natural talent and became her guide and teacher.

Agness worked her way up to become a reporter at the Record. Her first story with her name on it, called a byline, was an interview with an old man. He was known for planting the first cotton in California.

Agness started getting more and more important stories to cover for the Record. Her reputation as a great reporter grew. She was offered a job at William Randolph Hearst's Herald-Express. At first, she turned it down because she didn't own a car, which the Herald-Express required. Also, she felt she was learning so much at the Record, which often had too few staff members.

In January 1935, the Herald-Express offered Agness a job again. She was about to say no, but then she found out the Record had been sold. Even though she was told her job was safe, Agness decided to take the offer from the Herald-Express.

Big Stories at the Herald-Express

Agness's first job for the Herald-Express was to interview Amelia Earhart. Amelia was a famous pilot who had just flown alone from Honolulu, Hawaii, to Oakland, California. Agness waited for hours outside Earhart's home. The wait was worth it! Agness was the only Herald-Express reporter who got to talk to Earhart.

Over the next twelve years, Agness covered many big stories. She reported on the deaths of Hollywood stars like Thelma Todd and Jean Harlow. She wrote a series of articles about the lives of women in the California women's prison. She also reported on almost every major crime case in the city.

Later Life and Legacy

In 1981, when her health was not good, Agness moved from Los Angeles to Greeley, Colorado. She wanted to live closer to her son and grandchildren. On July 3, 1984, she had a heart attack and passed away. Her funeral was held in Los Angeles.

After she died, newspapers praised Agness Underwood. The Herald-Examiner wrote that she was not scared by tough crime scenes. She was great at finding details other reporters missed. As an editor, she knew many famous people and important sources, from movie stars to government officials.

Agness Underwood is buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California.

Film and Television

On November 11, 1956, Agness Underwood was featured on the TV show This Is Your Life. A documentary film about her, called Agness Underwood: First Lady of the Newsroom, was released in 2017.

Honors and Awards

Agness Underwood received many awards and honors throughout her career. Here are just a few:

• In 1949, she received the Woman of Achievement Award from the American Legion.
• Also in 1949, she won the National Headliner Award for outstanding work in journalism.
• In 1951, she received an honorary Master of Business Administration degree from Woodbury College.
• In 1952, she was given the Golden Flame Award by the California Association of Press Women.
• In 1958, the Los Angeles City Council honored her for her great service to journalism.
• In 1958, she received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree.
• In 1960, she was named one of the Los Angeles Times "women of the year."
• In 1961, she was honored as "Newspaperwoman of the Year."
• In 1962, she received the Medallion Award as "The Most Outstanding Woman in Journalism."
• On July 18, 1962, Mayor Samuel W. Yorty declared "Aggie Underwood Day" in Los Angeles!

Legacy

Today, the Agness Underwood Reporting Award is given by the Journalism Department at California State University, Northridge (CSUN). Her important papers and writings are kept in the Special Collections at CSUN's University Library.