Mary Hortense Powner Myers

Born on July 15, 1913, and an Indianapolis native, Hortense Myers graduated from Ben Davis High School in 1932, going by her middle name instead of her given first name (Mary). Her first newspaper position, with the Old Trail News, began in 1934. In 1942, she became the first woman to join the International News Service, which later merged with United Press to form United Press International (UPI). She also completed a journalism degree at Butler University in 1953. A well-respected political reporter, her three regularly published columns were “Statehouse Views,” “Hoosier Politics,” and “Feminine Horizon.” Myers served on several governor’s committees and coauthored seven books, including Robert F. Kennedy: The Brother Within (1962).

The numerous awards she collected during her career include the Frances Wright Award for outstanding contribution to Indiana journalism (1960); Woman of the Year, National Federation of Press Women (1966); and Indiana Newsman of the Year (1972). In 1975, she was named to the Indiana Journalism Hall of Fame. She was president of the Indiana chapter of Sigma Delta Chi and, in 1976, became the first woman president of the Indianapolis Press Club (The Woman’s Press Club of Indiana was a club for authors and journalists which was founded in 1913). She retired in 1981 after 39 years with UPI. In 1982, Ball State University created the Hortense Myers Award in journalism in her honor. She died on June 25, 1987.

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