Frances Belford "Pinky" Wayne (June 17, 1870 – July 16, 1951) was an American journalist based in Denver, 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.
Early life Frances Belford was born in La Porte, Indiana on June 17, 1870, the daughter of James B. Belford and Frances McEwen Belford.U.S. Passport Applications, 1795–1925 Her father was a judge and a congressman and her mother was a temperance activist and a trustee at two colleges.Vivian Epstein, History of Colorado's Women for Young People (Vivian Sheldon Epstein 1997): 16. The family moved west to Central City, Colorado in 1874, when Frances was a girl.Rosemary Fetter, "Colorado History: How Denver Became the Christmas Capital of the World" Colorado Gambler (December 18, 2013).
Career Frances Belford Wayne joined the Rocky Mountain News in 1906, as a drama and music critic. She became a features writer and investigative reporter. She worked for the Denver Post from 1909 to 1946. She reported from the Ludlow massacre, and wrote features about opium addiction, reproductive health, and immigration.Nancy Pike Hause, The unsinkable Frances Wayne : an overview of her work as a reporter for the Denver Post from 1909 to 1946 (M. A. thesis, 1982, Kansas State University. She worked with Emily Griffith for the establishment of a public technical school in Denver.Emily Griffith Technical College, History, "Emily's Dream" . She was a member of the Denver Women's Press Club;"The Denver Woman's Press Club" Colorado Encyclopedia. since 1940, the club has awarded a scholarship in her name.
In 1918, Frances Wayne saw the possibilities of outdoor lighting decorations for Christmas, and started spotlighting colorful lighting displays in Denver.Brian K. Trembath, "Civic Center Lights (The Early Years)" Denver Public Library (November 30, 2016). This developed into one of the largest urban holiday lighting displays in the United States.Patricia Calhoun, "Denver Showed it Had the Light Stuff a Century Ago, with the First Christmas Tree" Westword (November 26, 2014). She also helped to found the Myron Stratton Home for the Aged and Dependent Youth, and a state reformatory for boys."Woman Awarded Gold Medal by University" Fourth Estate (July 29, 1922): 13. In 1944, she persuaded the governor of Colorado to appoint scientist Florence R. Sabin to a post-war planning commission.Craig Leavitt, Thomas J. Noel, Herndon Davis: Painting Colorado History, 1901–1962 (University Press of Colorado 2016): 148.
Awards In 1922, she was awarded a University Recognition gold medal from the University of Colorado for "ready and effective championship of sound efforts and movements for the public well being.""Colorado Newspaper Woman is Honored" Arkansas Democrat (July 4, 1922): 11. via Newspapers.com Wayne was named "Woman of the Year" by the Business and Professional Women's Club of Denver in 1946.
Personal life Frances Belford married John Anthony Wayne before 1906; they soon separated and divorced in 1908.Colorado, Divorce Index, 1851–1985 She died in Central City from cancer on July 16, 1951.
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