Lois Wille facts for kids

Lois Jean Wille (born September 19, 1931 – died July 23, 2019) was an important journalist, editor, and author from Chicago, USA. She won two Pulitzer Prizes, which are very famous awards for journalism. Her stories helped change how things worked in women's healthcare, public housing, and the court system for young people.

Early Life and Education

Lois Wille was born in Chicago, Illinois in 1931. Her father, Walter, was an architect from Germany. Her mother, Adele, was a homemaker who loved politics and reading newspapers. Lois had one younger brother named Donald.

Lois's father was very smart and loved math and science. He shared this love with Lois and her brother. Her mother was very interested in what was happening in the world. Lois said her mother read newspapers even more carefully than she did!

Lois went to a Lutheran grammar school and then Arlington Heights High School. After that, she studied at Northwestern University. She earned two degrees from the Medill School of Journalism there in 1953 and 1954.

While at Northwestern, Lois was the managing editor of the school newspaper, The Daily Northwestern. She also helped with efforts to make sure all students, no matter their background, could live in the campus dorms.

Journalism Career

Starting at the Chicago Daily News

Lois Wille began her journalism career at the Chicago Daily News in 1956. At that time, many women journalists were given "feminine" topics. These included fashion stories or interviews with celebrities. Lois interviewed film star Cary Grant and covered Nikita Khrushchev's visit to the United States.

In 1957, Lois saw a chance to work in the main newsroom. She got the job, becoming one of only two women there. She remembered how hard it was for women to get these jobs. Editors often worried women would quit if they started a family. Lois called this "nonsense."

Fighting for Change

Early in her career, Lois started reporting on the civil rights movement and social issues. She wrote about the living conditions in Chicago's poorer neighborhoods. She focused on how people in different areas had different access to housing and healthcare.

Lois wrote a series of stories about how the government was not providing important information and services to women who needed help. She felt it was unfair that wealthy women could get good medical care, but poor women could not. She said, "Women were dying because of it." Her goal was to change public policy and make healthcare fair for everyone.

Some people at the newspaper were unsure about running her stories. But after talking with a local priest and activist, the editor allowed the series to be published. In 1963, Lois Wille won her first Pulitzer Prize for Public Service for this work. She never expected to win the award; she just wanted to make a difference.

During this time, Lois also wrote about other important issues. She reported on children who got sick from eating lead paint in old apartment buildings. She also looked into problems with the system for young people in court in Cook County, Illinois. For some of her stories, Lois even went undercover to see the problems firsthand.

Later, Lois became the editor of the newspaper's editorial page in 1977. This meant she was in charge of writing the newspaper's opinions on important topics.

Moving to New Papers

The Chicago Daily News closed in 1978. Lois then became the editorial page editor at the Chicago Sun-Times. In 1984, she moved to the Sun-Times's rival paper, the Chicago Tribune.

In 1987, she became the editor of the Tribune's editorial page. In 1989, she won her second Pulitzer Prize, this time for her powerful opinion pieces. She retired from the Tribune in 1991.

Her colleagues at the Tribune admired her greatly. They called her a "strong role model for women." They said she was a very skilled writer and editor who was tough but also kind.

Another journalist, Doug Kneeland, wrote that if Lois Wille were in charge of Chicago, it would be a better place. He said it would be "fairer, more decent, more honest." Columnist Mike Royko said Lois had "no weaknesses as a journalist." He believed she was brilliant and the best at everything she did.

Personal Life

Lois Wille met her husband, Wayne, in a journalism class at Northwestern University. Wayne was also an editor and journalist. They got married in 1954. They did not have any children.

Death

Lois Wille passed away on July 23, 2019, in Chicago. She was 87 years old.