Alumni Profile
Marjorie Blewett
BA'48, Journalism
Retired journalist and Indiana Journalism Hall of Fame inductee
Bloomington, Ind.
Marjorie Blewett
Marjorie Blewett fell in love with journalism as a child in Bloomington, Ind., more than 70 years ago. The Daily Student was her favorite newspaper back then, and she was intrigued by its production. Every morning there was a new paper, and hot news pages, just off the press, were tacked to the newspaper office's large window that faced the street.
Blewett's own window on the world opened wide when the family moved to Washington, D.C., during World War II. The country was at war and she remembers Churchill's visit to the White House in 1942. During that time she wrote for the teen page of the old Washington Star and edited the high-school paper.
In the summer of 1944 Blewett returned to Bloomington to study at the School of Journalism. War was over. Returning GIs had swelled the campus population, space was at a premium, and there was much to write about.
Blewett enjoyed her college years. "For me, it was the fun of working at the Daily Student — classes definitely came second," Blewett says.
While covering the Alumni Association for the Daily Student, she developed a close friendship with Laurence Wheeler. Wheeler was the first head of the IU Foundation and a classmate of Ernie Pyle. He supplied Blewett with tips on potential campus stories.
Upon graduation Blewett became class notes writer for the Indiana Alumni Magazine. She later was the editor for the Bloomington Daily Herald and the Lafayette Journal and Courier.
She liked the work, but the continual deadlines were a drag at times. She then got married, became a mother, and thought her journalism career was over. But she missed the buzz and took on some part-time PR jobs around Bloomington.
In 1965, John Stempel, dean of the journalism school, asked her to teach at the school. She enjoyed teaching for a few years, but it was not for her. "I never really did like teaching that much; it was too repetitive and I hated grading," Blewett says.
By the time Stempel was getting ready to retire in 1969, Blewett was ready for a new challenge. Stempel gave his successor, Richard Gray, some good advice. "Stempel suggested to Gray that he put me into placement," says Blewett.
Blewett had finally found her calling. She took on the jobs of School of Journalism placement director and administrative assistant. She had good organizational skills, and she used her contacts to find out which publications needed journalists or photographers.
Generations of journalism students have fond memories of Blewett, and many of them pushed to have her contribution to journalism recognized.
They succeeded. In 1999 Blewett, who had retired in 1990, was inducted into the Indiana Journalism Hall of Fame. She is enjoying her retirement. And she has continued her association with the school by establishing a trust fund that gives financial assistance to students engaged in unpaid internships.